Speaking Volumes
by Persiana13
Summary: This story chronicles the tale of my wood elf character in the land of Skyrim. Warning, contains game spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studio. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 1: Purpose 

My name is Indira Rosebed, and I am a Wood Elf.

Honestly, you think I could make a better introduction than that. To be honest, I want to, but I am training right now. Training to be skilled in archery and swordplay. Why, you may ask? Well, the answer is very simple. Adventure.

I guess I have it in my head from the time I was little, that I listened to the tales of warriors and not just the deeds they had accomplished, but also of the artifacts they had possessed, granting them their extraordinary power. I have always been fascinated by the tales of travelers outside of my humble village; the tales of dragon-slaying, of hunting dangerous bandits, and the treasures that can be found in the crypts and tombs of those that came before.

My passion has always been hunting, and, to be honest, though I longed to leave the village, perhaps it is not my fate. I look about and see where I came from; an elven land in the midst of the wilderness. I think I am destined for greater, but, seeing what where I am, and what I can do, perhaps the gods do not permit it to be so. But, I train myself, day in and day out, both with sword and bow. Bow more than sword, because, I believe that fate will one day do one of two things for me; destroy me as I attempt to find adventure, or allow me to find my greatest destiny.

Whatever awaits, I will not sit idly by and allow myself to get lazy. I am going to train. For what, I have not a clue to that mystery yet…

Next Chapter:

Captured, and prepared to be on the chopping block.


	2. Chapter 2

**Indira Skryim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 2: Hunting 

I was crouched low, watching my prey. It was a great bear, a mighty bear that I was hunting. Though my people revere the natural world and its beauty, we also test ourselves with hunt. The more dangerous the game always garners the greater reward. I felt the air around me; cold and damp. My bow at the ready, gripped tightly in my protected hands. I take an arrow as I look at the bear, seemingly unaware of my presence. I felt a sharp wind cut across my face as I slipped and my foot rested on a twig. The twig snap and the bear raised its head up to detect the noise.

I stayed still, praying to the elven gods that they would not betray my presence. However, it seemed that was not the case today, as the bear locked its gaze on me. I swallowed and saw it come running at me. In this situation, my only alternative was to run. Though I am a good shot, I am not as good as when I am on the run. I quickly ran; the bear in pursuit of me.

It was early in the day, but the sun had risen up already. I was far from civilization, and, my only chance was to get to a more advantageous position. I quickly noticed some rocks and dashed up one of them, staying mere seconds behind the bear. My heart was racing and my breath was quick and hot, cutting through the cold air. I hastily readied my bow got an arrow ready. I lied in wait.

And, I kept waiting.

A few more minutes had gone by when I heard the distinct sounds of metal clanging and yelling. I looked down and saw several soldiers fighting the bear. I immediately recognized the crest on their shields and armor as soldiers for the Empire.

While many elves had viewed the civil war as a matter not of our concern, it would have a direct effect on all of us regardless of who would win. Some elves had joined the Imperial army, while others joined a rebellion known as the Stormcloaks. I am a little faint on the details, but, as I understand it, there was a man who claimed to be emperor and many people felt as though he did not deserve to rule. The Stormcloaks were mostly Nords, but there were mixes of other races as well.

Off in the distance, I saw several other soldiers, and they were in carriages. They were watching the battle intently. I noticed that, in the carriages behind the soldiers, were some men. All of them had ragged clothing and had their hands bound. They appeared to be prisoners. I do not know where they were going, but it was safe to say they were heading for a prison camp of some kind.

I then noticed the bear was soundly defeated, but not without cost. One of the soldiers had been killed; the bear's massive claws cutting through armor like it was parchment. I slowly got up and got off of the rock. An archer noticed me and ordered me to halt. I froze in place, not wanting to be a target for the Empire.

He ordered me to slowly come down. I was still exhausted from the run through the woods; my muscles still slightly sore. I got down and turned around. One of the soldiers looked at me and asked what I was doing there. I brushed my hair back and explained I was hunting this bear. I thought to myself that I should have laid a trap for the bear first instead of hunting it outright. A stupid, childish mistake on my part.

Another soldier grumbled and shouted I was a spy for the Stormcloaks. I was appalled and immediately shouted back that I was not; that this war was not my concern and it was theirs. The soldier I got into an argument was a younger soldier; but, he had a glint in his eyes suggested he had seen his fair share of battle. A lot of these soldiers had seen battle, but they all had that same glint in their eyes. I knew this could be bad.

Little did I know, as one of the Imperial soldiers snuck up behind me and bashed me with the shaft of his weapon.

The next thing I would discover, I too would be a prisoner, on my way to my execution…

Next Chapter:

An unlikely savior


	3. Chapter 3

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 3: A Second Chance

When I came to, I felt a throbbing pain in my head. I cursed to myself that I was so easy to let my guard down. I looked around and felt my hands were bound and I was no longer in my hunter's clothes, but in rags. I felt the cold air brush against me and I shivered. One of the prisoners, I do not remember who, asked if I too was captured trying to cross the border. I shook my head, but I am unable to speak, as another prisoner, a thief and, from what I saw, a beaten one at that, began cursing the Stormcloaks for ruining his life.

I do not follow politics that much, considering that it mattered little to me, anyway, but, from what I understand of the war that is occurring right now, the Stormcloaks are a rebel force that insisted that one of them, a man named Ulfrec, was the true king of Skyrim. One of their leaders was sitting next to us, a sort of celebrity. I looked over him and his mouth was gagged, which I thought to be unusual. I shivered again and felt a cold wind brush up against my cheek. My dark red hair was unkempt and my face was still dirty from a combination of the war paint and the run through the wild. I know this war had something to do with the outlaw of Talos worship, but that was about it.

One of the prisoners said that many of the elves had joined the side of the Empire. Again, that matters little to me. My village is one of the few that chose neither side, and I personally do not seem to care if the Imperials and Nords are bent on slaughtering each other, as long as it does not bother me or involve me. Sad to say, however, it does involve me, here and now.

A soldier told us to keep quiet and I discovered that this carriage was heading towards Helgan, a town surrounded by a stone wall. I looked at the others and the thief was praying to the divines for clemency and forgiveness. I whispered a prayer to my deities as well, praying that either the Imperials would realize that I was truly innocent, or perhaps a twist of fate would intervene.

As we neared the town's entrance, I could hear one of the soldiers calling for the headsman. This could only mean one thing; we were going to get executed. As the carriage stopped and we began to get off, I felt something. I felt a feeling of anxiousness. I do not know what it was, but my ears were burning, despite the cold weather. I only get this feeling when I am on the hunt for big game, or there is an extreme danger coming this way.

The thief I see attempting to break out with his hands bound, but, he barely gets by as a salvo of arrows rains down on him, one penetrating his heart. I did admit, the Empire did train their archers well, and I knew escape was going to be fruitless, especially if I could not fight back.

One of the people, a guard, was reading off a list of people that were going to be scheduled for execution, but, when I told him my name, he said he could not find it. The captain, a dark skinned woman in ornate metal armor, dismissed it and ordered me to the block anyway.

As I walked over to the other prisoners for execution, a low rumble could be heard. It was nothing like I had ever heard before, and it shook me to the bone with fear, more so than the cold weather. I could not help it, but that burning I felt was getting slightly warmer. I watch as a man steps forward, interrupting a chaplain's last rites. I think he is not big on religion, or he simply does not fear death. Either way, I watch as the axe comes down on him and his head rolls into a basket. I look away, closing my eyes. It is such a gruesome sight. I have grown accustomed to the savagery of nature, but the savagery of people like Bretons and Nords and Imperials knows no bounds.

I am escorted next. As I am about to, that roar is heard, this time it is closer. Something is coming at us, I just know it. It has this city in our sights, and, for whatever it is worth, it is big. I do not know how big, but, it is easily bigger than a bear. The headsman is growing impatient and I could feel a guard force me on my knees and force my head onto the block. I am leaning onto the side and that was when I saw it.

A dragon.

Or, at least what I thought was a dragon. The roar was right on top of us and everyone began to panic as the dragon perched on a tower right in front of me and breathed fire. There was an explosion of some kind and I was knocked to the ground. The headsman was nowhere to be found, but one of the rebels that had been in my carriage shouted for me to follow him and take cover. My vision was blurred and I stumbled about, but I could see him, barely. I ran in his direction, still tied up. I needed to get out of these things and fast.

We made our way inside a tower and barred the door. There were several wounded inside, as well as another rebel. Apparently, the rebels were storming the place at the exact same time a dragon was attacking. Either they had a great sense of timing, or they sent the thing ahead of themselves and cause chaos and confusion.

It did not matter; the gods had granted me a second chance, and I was aiming to take it. The Nord that was with me told me we had to go up the tower. We were about half-way up when the wall came down onto of someone ahead of us and the dragon breathed fire through the hole. I felt the hot breath of the beast near me. It was as hot as a forge, hotter even. I pressed against the wall and waited until the thing went somewhere else. I looked out and saw smoke in several of the burning buildings, as well as many of the wooden houses set ablaze. The Nord told me to jump and he would meet me on the other side.

I jumped through the hole as hard as I could, finding a new energy within me. I rolled on the ground and stood back up. I made my way carefully down and jumped off the second floor to the first. It was there that I met an Imperial soldier and he was protecting another soldier and a boy. I remember the boy earlier was watching us as we came in, before the chaos started. The Imperial soldier's name is lost upon me, as my memory is still somewhat affected. I shook my head and he told me that, if I wanted to stay alive, that I had to stay near him. I had no argument with that, considering my hands were still bound together.

We rushed through the courtyard of the fortress, the dragon raining down his hot, fiery breath on the town. Archers were firing their arrows and it did not seem to have an effect on it. I do not know why, but I felt something about this majestic beast, something about this dragon. I do not know what it was, but this was not the best place to analyze it.

The Nord I encountered earlier, the rebel, had gotten loose and got his hands on a sword. He ran in one direction, while I went with the Imperial in another and we both took cover inside one of the last remaining stone buildings left. This Imperial was like many of the other soldiers that were stationed here, but, he did untie me and I rubbed my hands together. I stretched slightly, groaning slightly. It was finally good to be free of those bonds. The Imperial told me to look around for armor and a sword while he looked for a way out.

I began scavenging for armor and found an old set of leather armor. I shrugged; it was outfitted for a man, but I am not picky, given the situation. I look over and I could see the soldier looking at me, expecting me to hurry up. I told him that, if I wanted to hurry, he had to turn around. He told me he could not do that; technically, I was still a prisoner. I rolled my eyes and began stripping down in front of him. At this point, I really was not in the mood for arguments about modesty and shame. I really wanted to get out of this forsaken place as quickly as possible.

The Imperial soldier was definitely looking me over; a beautiful, lithe creature of the forest. I brushed my hair back, not bothering to wear a helmet and, when I finished putting on the armor and boots, I picked up a long sword I found and raised an eyebrow at him. He then opened the metal door and we continued on.

This place was unnatural to me; cold stone neatly organized into blocks. There were no straight lines in nature; that paths and trails were cut when people regularly traveled through them. I could also hear the clanging of metal and the sounds of screams muffled outside by the dragon's onslaught. I gripped the rough iron long sword in my hand tightly, my hands nearly chaffing from the grip. I needed to find some sort of gauntlet if I were to continue fighting.

We made our way through the fortress, encountering some of the Stormcloaks. Diplomacy was lost upon them and they attacked us. The Imperial was better with a weapon than I thought he was, and I waited until an opportune moment came as I stabbed one of the Stormcloaks in the back. I managed to salvage a pair of fur gauntlets and we continued on our way.

There was more trouble as we went to find more rebels, attempting to pilfer supplies. We defeated them and I managed to find potions and ingredients to make potions. Then, we found the torture chamber below, in the depths of the fortress. I winced at the smell of blood and screams as the torturer and his assistant were handling some of the rebels that had managed to get to the room. I found some more supplies, while the Imperial begged for the help of the torturer. He did not believe there was a dragon attack, only a rebel strike. I found some lockpicks and opened the cell doors, getting some practice in before we had to head out again.

The torture room led to a cavern and, as we ventured through, there was a cave in. We were trapped, and the only way to go was forward. Many people died, but, thanks to one of the rebels I killed, I managed to find a bow and some arrows. I smirked, sheathing my long sword. I had a feeling of strength as I touched the bow and felt the tightened string across my fingers. It was as if I was whole again.

The cavern was carved from the water, and we noticed skeletal remains of some of the people that had long become trapped here. Some spiders tried to block our path, but we managed to dispatch them. I was a good shot, enough to impress the Imperial I was with. He must have been attracted to me, I could tell. He did see me naked, but that was a situation I could not avoid.

After sneaking past a bear, I could feel fresh air. The scent of pine needles was getting stronger and the cold, crisp air was coming from a cave.

Finally, we had escaped…

Next Chapter:

The road ahead…


	4. Chapter 4

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 4: Respite

We were outside. I could hardly believe what had happened. We were actually outside. I got away with the help of this Imperial soldier. I have to admit, I do owe him my life.

The dragon passed over us, and we took cover behind a rock. The Imperial soldier watched as the dragon flew back to wherever it came from. I have no idea where it came from, but, the Imperial soldier and I both agreed that it was best to keep running and not wonder if that thing was going to come back.

We both ran on the trail, and he explained to me that he had an uncle in Riverwood, a sleepy little town not too far from here. He figured on getting provisions for the both of us and explain the situation. I could use some provisions; my stomach was aching for sustenance. I honestly do not remember the last time I ate. It might have been a day or so ago. I noticed, in the distance, there was a river. The first thing I would do would be to get a hot meal, and then, maybe a bath.

As we continued on our journey, my Imperial companion pointed out several of these ritual stones. According to legend, these stones were based on constellations and that I would receive some sort of power from them. I touched one, that of the thief, and I felt something in my body radiate. A light shot up into the sky and I was bathed in calming light. It reacted to me and I felt myself slightly more nimble and agile than before. I shook my head and the Imperial smiled at me, shaking his head. I heard him say that it is never too late to change your fate. I seemed to chuckle at that.

We encountered a pack of wolves and I managed to skin their pelts. Probably just scavenging for a next meal, and, while I understand their need to survive, I pray to my gods that these animals understand my need for survival as well. I needed to find that dragon, find out why it attacked.

When we arrived in town, the soldier told me that his uncle was a blacksmith. We all went inside and the blacksmith asked what was going on. I could barely focus, as I could smell fish, rabbit, and eggs, as well as vegetable and fresh bread filling their savory scents in the room. I began to explain that there was a dragon that attacked and destroyed the entire town. The Imperial troop that was with me could sense my hunger and asked if we all sat down and began talking.

I voraciously ate what was on my plate, savoring the taste of real food. I was not about to make my last meal that of roots and berries, I can assure you of that. I guzzled a bottle of wine down laid in my chair for a moment. The Imperial soldier said he had to make his way to Solitude and report back about the situation. The blacksmith told me I could take whatever I needed, within reason, of course.

The wife of the black smith, a woman named Sigrid, I think, was watching me closely. I could tell this Nord was jealous of me, or she thought I was out to steal her husband. There was also a young girl in the room, and she eagerly wanted to hear about the dragon that attacked.

My body was aching from the ordeal and, as I checked outside, it was evening. The Imperial soldier would be staying until morning, and then heading out of town for Solitude. Before he left, he gave me a map of Skryim, in case I got lost. It contained all the most traveled roads and trade routes, as well as the major cities in the area. I did not even want to take a bath, I was so tired. I laid down on a bed that was made for me and fell asleep.

I was dreaming. Dreaming about the attack; the dragon's fiery breath blistering my skin. The beast was looking at me and then unleashed another breath attack. I sat up, startled. I held my head for a while, feeling a slight headache coming from it. I decided to step outside, grabbing my bow and arrows. I walked around the town. Many were asleep, but there was a slight ruckus coming from the inn. Probably a few drunken revelers. I decided to look around for a discrete place where I could take a bath in the river. I found one near the saw mill. The place was concealed and I slowly took my armor off. Once I was fully nude, I stepped into the water and, taking a bar of soap and a rag I was allowed to have, began bathing myself.

Though I have grown accustomed to the wilderness, I was still a woman, and I did have the need to bathe once in a while. Nothing fancy, no perfumes; just soap and water. I liked it. The water warmer than I thought it would be, but it was still cold.

As I was bathing, I closed my eyes and began humming a tune from my childhood. I suddenly missed home. I suddenly missed my family. I do not know if they were still looking for me, or they figured I was on the trail of an elusive game and would be back longer than expected. I continued humming the tune until I heard the rustling of leaves. I opened my eyes and reached for my bow. I regretted I did not have the eyes of a Khajiit, or I would be able to see my peeper, but years of being trained with a bow made me a pretty good shot in the dark.

It was the Imperial soldier, and he had brought a towel with him. I put my bow down and glared at him, asking,  
"What are you doing here?"

The soldier said,

"Checking up on you. You left in the middle of the night."

I shook my head,

"I did not realize you were assigned to check up on me. I thought I was a free woman."

The soldier responded back,

"You are, to me, anyway. To the rest of the Imperial Army, probably too, but it's best if you stay away from them, just in case there was a bounty on your head."

I rolled my eyes and said,

"Could I at least dry off without you staring at me?"

The soldier conceded and I snatched the towel from him. He turned around and I quickly dried myself off. I want to put my armor back on, but a part of it got stuck. He asked,

"Could I help you-?"

I snapped at him,

"No! Just because you have seen me naked does not mean I want you to touch me!"

The soldier smiled

"And why wouldn't I want to touch you? You are beautiful."

I grumbled,

"Shouldn't you be heading to Solitude?"

I could see early sun trying to rise over the mountains. The soldier said,

"I will, and, if you ever want to join the Imperial army, come to Solitude. You'll actually like it."

He then walked away. I was tempted to fire an arrow into his back, but I knew better. I had a sense of honor.

For the next few hours, I spent working and crafting my weapons and armor, improving what I could and selling what I could not. I tested the strength of my bow and realized I let my guard down like that. I guess I was out longer than I thought. The blacksmith noticed my behavior and said that I should head to Whiterun and speak to the Jarl about sending troops to their town. I figured that would be a good place to start, but I also wanted to know more about the town itself, and maybe sharpen my skills…

Next Chapter:

Mine Splunking, and the Golden Claw


	5. Chapter 5

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 5: Exploration

The sun had come up and I needed to sharpen my skills, so I began exploring the outside of the town. I shook my head, still remembering the encounter with that Imperial soldier. I did not see him as I left. He probably still was asleep. It was exhaustive for both of us. It was not every day that a dragon appears and tries to sear everything to a crisp. I shook my head, and kept my senses sharp. If that dragon ever came back, I needed to be ready for it.

I then smelled coal. Not too far away, but it was faint, hard to trace. I followed the scent carefully and there, I found a bandit, guarding the entrance way of what appeared to be a mine. I was a bit surprised that a bandit was here, this close to Riverwood. If that were the case, then it would only be a matter of time before they would attack. I slowly pulled out my bow and arrow and fired, hitting the bandit in the throat. It was a female bandit, and she went down hard. I checked her body and found some gold and lock picks. I shrugged; that could be useful. I then proceeded inside.

It was dark, but obvious this mine was still in operation, no doubt by more bandits. I carefully skulked through the darkness of the cave, removing some torches just to give myself some sort of concealment. It is costly, as I trigger a rock trap. I darted out of the way at the last second, and I am lucky to be alive. I waited a few minutes, almost not breathing. I trained my ears to listen to any more of the bandits, but I hear nothing. I continue onwards.

Caves were a wondrous sight to behold, and many of them had resources and treasures if one knew where to look. It was odd that I did not find a pick axe, but plenty of shovels. Maybe they were further inside. I then heard two bandits talking. One of them was worried about someone finding them, while the other was reassuring his compatriot that there were traps and a guard stationed outside, so there was no need to worry. He then ordered him to go to sleep and prepare for his watch.

I waited until the bandits separated and went after the one that was on watch. He was dropped quickly, an arrow to his chest, but the noise woke up the second bandit. He looked around and tried to find the noise, but he was silenced by my blade to the back. I found that he had a steel short sword on him and took it. Their weapons would be worth some coin, and I definitely could use some money.

As I explored the depths of the mine, I discovered more bandits. I remember hearing stories from the others when I was little about the savagery and maliciousness of what bandits could do, and I decided that it was for the best that I get rid of these particular ones while I had the chance. One of them I found guarding a store room filled with treasures, as well as a spell book. It was a spell of clairvoyance, and I quickly read through it. It would be very useful to me to learn about this and I took it with me.

I could hear the sounds of metal working and found the bandits had made a sort of makeshift forge for themselves. I looked through the darkness and found they had been mining iron ore to make weapons. Now, I knew they were planning to raid Riverwood and take the town for whatever it was worth. I had to stop them.

I readied my bow and fired an arrow. The arrow flew swiftly by and penetrated the back of the bandit blacksmith, falling in the water. A second one was patrolling the bridge and I dispatched her as well. She looked to be an archer of some kind, and I could tell she had a finer bow than I did. I wanted it enough to go and get it once the way was clear. I heard a third bandit was begging to snoop around, wondering what happened to his other cohorts. I steadied my aim again, remembering the first time I held a bow and being taught to fire it. I almost smirked at the memory and let the arrow fly. It hit him, but the armor took some of the impact off. He was still alive and came in my direction. I hid in the darkness and he swung his weapon wildly, shouting out that he would find me. I readied another arrow and hit him again, this time finishing him off completely.

I returned to Riverwood and sold some of the goods to a trader in town. The trader was in the argument with a woman. It looked to be the trader's sister. From what I overheard of the conversation, there had been a robbery and something valuable had been stolen. I later discovered, from the trader, that it was a golden ornament in the shape of a dragon's claw and it was stolen by a thief. I offered to look for it and he was relieved, that he did not have to go to Bleak Falls Burrow and find it.

The sister wanted to and she pointed it out to me on the edge of town. I would definitely have to remember where this place and I would want to prepare for it. I had no idea what sort of monsters and machinations were in there, and, despite how well I did with the bandits, I was still in no shape to tackle a serious dungeon exploration without properly equipping myself for the job.

For now, I had to go to Whiterun and inform the Jarl of the situation. Maybe I could use that time to train and refresh my skills. Gods know I am going to need it if a dragon is on the loose…

Next Chapter:

Onward to Whiterun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 6: Road to Whiterun

After relaxing at the inn, and taking my share of wine and drink, I was ready to go out. I was satisfied that my prowess with a bow and blade had not totally diminished during my capture and near execution at the hands of the Empire. I looked up at the forboding mountain, the one where the Golden Claw was supposedly held. I shook my head, knowing that I would eventually have to journey up to Bleak Falls Barrow and retrieve it. I decided first to head to Whiterun and get some soldiers to protect the town, in case the dragon should attack.

I could feel the warm sun kiss my body, already invigorated by it as I journeyed ahead to the city. I kept my guard up, keeping my sword at the ready, but I did take my time and traveled along the main path. A wolf attacked me, but I quickly slayed it. It was no challenge and I continued onward on the stony road.

A few miles up, I found a small group of Imperial soldiers escorting a prisoner. The prisoner was a Stormcloak rebel. I kept my distance, taking to the rocks for cover and watched. He was obviously beaten and bloodied, and limped as the soldiers pushed on. I shook my head; it was not my fight. I had to admit, the soldier that saved me and cut me loose was kind of cute, actually. Granted, he was part of a group that had tried to execute me, but, he did beg for my release on my behalf, and would be willing to do so again. I figured that was the least I could do for him.

On the main road, I saw several farms in the distance, all surrounding the city of Whiterun. It was not as big as I thought it would be, but, as I approached, I could detect the scent of an intoxicating brew. There was a brewery near the intersection and I decided to stop for a drink. I tasted this new mead that they were brewing and it was a gorgeous aroma, sweet, yet fiery at the same time.

As I stumbled out of the brewery a while later, I remembered my original mission; that was to deliver the information and request a troop presence in Riverwood. I continued on and saw a giant attacking several other soldier types. They had shields and weapons as well, and, as I was about to unsheathe a bow, they had stopped the giant. One of them was hostile towards me and blamed me for arriving too late. I did not know what her problem was with me, but I put my weapon away and brushed my hair back, frustrated. Another one came and explained that they were part of a group called the Companions, a sort of fighters' guild that did a lot of mercenary work. I was immediately curious and asked if I could join. One of them said I had to go to Whiterun and speak with their leader. He had a sort of eye for character. I then watched them depart.

I examined the giant again and shook my head. I had heard of such large creatures before, but I had never seen one up close, especially a corpse of one. It was larger than any man that I had ever seen. I did not want to fight one of these things at all, and it would be best if I avoided it at all costs.

Along the way, I found a Khajiit caravan. They were travelling all over Skyrim, selling wares. One of them was even a trainer of stealth and sneaking, so I paid for their services and having learned how to walk a certain way could actually make me more silent. It seemed so easy for the cats to walk this way, but I was determined to practice and learn this new style of walking. It may actually help me get closer to my prey without being noticed.

Alas, I have to continue on my mission, and speak to the Jarl about troops…

Next Chapter:

Exploring Whiterun…


	7. Chapter 7

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 7: In Town

The city of Whiterun was not as big as I thought it would be for a kingdom, but it was bustling nonetheless. I walked into town and noticed people talking, many about the war, about something between Grey-Mare and Battle-Born clans, whatever that was, and the dragon. As I walked through the bustling town, I happened upon a woman who was training to be a merchant, and she asked if I had a mammoth tusk she could acquire. That way, she could prove she is a better trader. I said I would be on the lookout for one, should I happen across it. I have never seen a mammoth before, but I heard they were huge, as large as mountains. Then again, so was the dragon that attacked.

The palace, Dragonsreach, in the middle of Whiterun, was not difficult to spot at all. It was a tall structure, mostly made of stone on the outside, but, as I walked inside, it was ornate. It was carved expertly by the best, and the wood looked amazingly strong. I looked in awe, spinning around and looking at how tall the ceiling was. I was in disbelief; my village was more blended into nature than this, but there was a certain level of respect I had to give the crafters of this place; it was gorgeous.

I ascended the stairs and saw the great hall, and Jarl sitting on his throne, talking with his advisor. A dark elf woman with hair as red as fire saw me as I approached. She unsheathed her sword, her armor, though polished, had shown signs of battle and, from the scowl on her face, it suggested she had seen her fair share of combat and did not like surprises. She asked what I was doing there, and I explained that I had information about the dragon attack in Helgran. She nodded, but kept her guard up nonetheless. She then ordered me to approach.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could tell she did not like me. Maybe it was the fact that I was a wood elf, or maybe, it was the fact that I was allowed in and made it all the way to the palace. Regardless, I had to relay my story to the Jarl, and, hopefully, he would understand.

The Jarl himself was a Nord, a strong one at that. He had a cape of fur draped across his shoulders, and he wore splendid clothing. The weapon on his back was not for show, as were the clothes. They may have looked elegant, but I was willing to bet they also doubled as his armor. I began to explain the situation, that I was a prisoner and was going to be executed for something I did not do. The Jarl was a little surprised I was forth coming about my criminal record, but I maintained that I was innocent. It did not seem to matter to him, anyway, as he was more interested in the story about the dragon. I told him what happened, how the dragon attacked, and how Ulfric Stormcloak, the leader of the rebellion, was with us, as he was going to be executed as well. I described the chaos, the destruction the dragon caused, how the beast's hot flames fanned out, searing people and buildings to a crisp. I described how the dragon cut through stone walls and beat mighty gusts of wind with its wings. All of these things seemed to surprise, and honestly scare, the Jarl and his advisors.

It may have been overdone, but I had to make the details as graphic as possible, in the hopes that they would send some troops to Riverwood. I owed that town a lot, and this was the least I could do. The Jarl nodded in understanding, and ordered the Dunmar to send a detachment to help protect the town. I sighed in relief, glad that my mission was not a total waste.

The Jarl then asked if I would go on an assignment, at his behest. It would seem that his court wizard was working on a specific project about the dragons, and, seeing as how I survived the dragon's fiery wrath, that I would be up for the job. I eagerly accepted, wanting to know more about these beasts. If I managed to slay a dragon, then I would be able to prove to myself that I was a great hunter.

As the Jarl and I went to meet this court wizard, I saw the advisor return to his duties. We stepped into the wizard's lab and he was an odd fellow. His face was covered in a cowl, but I saw he had a woman with him. I think her name was Delphine, but she did not appear to be a Nord. The wizard explained that he needed a particular artifact that may or may not exist in a certain area of Bleak Falls Burrow. It was called the Dragonstone, and it was a stone that contained the locations of every dragon burial site within all of Skyrim. Of course, it would take time to translate once he got it, but, it is possible that, if I go to Bleak Falls Burrow, that I could find it and bring it back here.

I had to go there anyway to retrieve a Golden Claw ornament. Well, I might as well kill two birds with one stone…

Next Chapter:

Delving into the Burrow…


	8. Chapter 8

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 8: Bleak Future

I returned to Riverwood, noticing that the detachment had been sent as promised. I was relieved, but I know had a bigger problem; I had to go to Bleak Falls Burrow and retrieve not only the Dragonstone, which may not even be there, but, also, retrieve the Dragon's Claw that was stolen from the merchant here in town. I decided to rent a room at the Inn and prepare. As I did, I saw a bounty for one of the bandits at a ruin site not too far from Whiterun. I would definitely have to check that out. It may help sharpen my skills.

As I rented the room, I overheard a few customers saying that a boy in Windhelm was attempting to contact the Dark Brotherhood. I cringed at that; why would anyone want to contact a group of blood-thirsty assassins was beyond me. I had no desire to attempt such a feat and would want nothing to do it with. I went to my room and prepared for my journey.

I sat on the bed, putting my weapons down in front of me. For over an hour, I checked the hunting bow I procured from the bandits and shook my head; how little respect they had for such a fine piece of work. I felt the string along my fingers and then I held one of the arrows. I felt the weight of the iron arrow, and I prayed to the elven gods that each one would count. I placed my sword in my hands. It was sharpened from my time in Whiterun, and I had not used it yet. I will be soon, for the sake of this mission. I then slept.

Before I left, I bought a heavy, hooded cloak. I could feel the chill of the air brush against my skin as I headed up to Bleak Falls. I could see snow there, and I knew it was going to be cold. I would not want to be ill-prepared for the elements that awaited me. I journeyed up the mountain trail, and, as I did, some hungry wolves were waiting for me. I dispatched them with my sword and skinned their pelts. They would make fine armor for me when I had the time to make them.

As I continued up the mountain, the snow began to intensify. I held my cloak close to me and tried to stay warm. The trail was snow-covered, but, I did see a campfire not too far away from me. It was near a tower, but I was not close enough to where I was supposed to go yet. And, I saw bandits occupying that tower. I readied a bow as I saw one stand guard, while the other one went inside. I stayed close to cover and launched an arrow at the bandit sentry, hitting his heart. They wore no armor, so it was an almost guaranteed kill. The second one heard his first go down and I saw him coming for me. I fired a shot, but, when it only hit him in the arm, he saw me. I quickly pulled out my sword and he pulled out a dagger. He tried to get in close to me, but, it was clear the wound was affecting his strength and his aim, as I managed to block each attack.

The fight was making my heart race and I felt my body getting warm. The fight itself was not long, but I had to end it, so I sliced into his stomach, staining the snow red with his blood. He fell over and I ran into the tower to take cover. The tower itself was slightly warmer, but there were some gaping holes in it. I checked the top of the tower and saw a third bandit up there. I stabbed him and he fell over the side, hitting the rocks below. I shook my head in pity and found he was guarding a chest of trophies the bandits had taken. I decided to take them for myself.

I continued on the trail, my heart still beating slightly after the skirmish. I had to remain calm, but the weather was making that difficult for me. I hissed, feeling the wind-driven snow cut me like a blade. It was a searing coldness that I had to avoid before I would freeze to death. I then saw another bandit sentry patrolling the area. I fired my bow, sending her body careening down the side of the mountain. I then turned and saw the temple I had to enter. It was massive, and ancient.

And it was a hideout for bandits, as two more came at me. I had no time to react as one of them fired a bow at me. I dodged and took cover, returning fire at one wielding a giant battle axe. He had an arrow stuck in his throat, but the other bandit grazed me with one of his arrows. I ducked behind a pillar and I could see him trying to get close to me. There was a burning desire forming inside of me to quickly end this and, as he came down the stairs, exposed, I fired, killing him.

It took me a moment to gather my bearings and take the arrows. I quickly opened the massive door and closed it behind me. I barred it and crept to a corner, catching my breath. Between the number of stairs I had to climb, and the number of bandits I had to fight, as well as the weather, I was tired.

But, I was not exhausted, and I had to keep moving. I could see that this place was massive on the inside. At one point in time, this place was a hall of majesty. I could see why the Dragonstone would be here. A fire alerted me to two more bandits. I fired one arrow, killing one, while the other began searching for me. I stepped into the darkness, blending in. The bandit looked around for a moment and then noticed the trail I had left. She looked up, only to see me with an arrow ready for her.

It was the last thing she ever saw. I sifted through their belongings, and, after picking the lock on a chest, continued onward. There was a good possibility that there would be more bandits looming around. And, my suspicions were confirmed. As I crept down the hallway, there was a bandit in the next room trying to open a doorway. I decided to watch and see what he was doing. There was a lever in the middle of the room, which connected to a metal gate. As he moved to open it, arrows fired from all different directions, perforating the bandit in his place.

I blinked and said to myself that I would never want to do that again. I went inside and looked around. There were several plaques, two with snakes, and one that looked like a fish. I then noticed three spinning pedestals, each with three different symbols. An idea formed in my head and, noticing the markings on the wall above me, I proceeded to match them up. When I was satisfied, I pulled the lever. The gate was open and the journey could continue.

I was not totally surprised that such a trap was found. Many ancient temples still had working traps to this day. This place was not so different, but, as I continued to go deeper into the temple, I felt a sort of presence. It was like the dragon I first encountered; that I had some sort of connection with this place, but I had no idea what it was. I shook my head and continued onward. As I did, there were numerous cobwebs around. No doubt, spiders must have inhabited this place after the temple went into disarray. This place was once mighty, and now it is being dwelt by vermin.

I found more supplies, from books to potions, to some weapons. It was then I heard a voice. It sounded like a man's voice, and he was calling out for help. I followed the sound and discovered cobwebs, but these were thicker. I took my sword and, before I cut through, I could see eggs. I must have found a spider's nest. I readied a fireball spell and sliced through the webbing.

That alerted a spider. It was wounded, but would come at me. As I noticed it climbed down, the person that the spider had caught was yelling, pleading for his life. I waited until the spider was on the ground launched my fireball spell at it. The spider screamed in pain and I took cover, rolling out of the way of the giant arachnid. This was a strategic disadvantage for me; I was in the middle of the monster's lair, and who knows what other spiders are lurking around here. I had to retreat and lure this thing out of its nest.

I rolled out of the way again, dodging a blast of venom from the wounded spider. I tried to get up, but I slipped and the monster jumped on me. I kept it at bay with my sword, sticking it through its head. The creature fell over and one more flame attack caused it to incinerate. I caught my breath, but I shook my head, slightly woozy. The spider must have bitten me, or some venom must have made contact with my skin. Luckily, the poison was not lethal, and, after healing my wounds, I was all right.

The man that was tied up in the silk webbing was the thief that stole the golden claw. He begged me to get him out. I told him I would, but he had to hand over the claw first. He said he could not, that he was stuck and he had to get free if he wanted me to. I shook my head, knowing that I should have let the spider eat him. I sliced through the webbing with my sword, making sure to come as close as I could without hurting him. Once he was loose, he ran off deeper into the ruin. I cursed myself and shook my head; I knew he was going to pull something like this. I chased after him.

There were no other passageways out, so it was easy for me to follow him. However, as we raced, we both came across a crypt, crawling with the skeletal remains of Nords. One of the more fleshy undead monsters came to life, and I quickly ducked for cover. I then could hear screams of the thief, as more of them ganged up on him and proceeded to fight him. The thief managed to take out one, but another came from behind and dropped his axe into his skull, killing the thief.

I switched over to my bow and fired some arrows, managing to permanently drop both of the undead. I searched the thief's body and found the golden Dragon Claw, as well as spoils he no doubt had obtained illegally. I gathered them up too.

Now, my only question was how would I get out of here? It seemed like a long way to go back, but I still had to find the Dragonstone, and, I doubt I came across the inner sanctum. My only option was to go forward. As I did, I noticed a pressure plate on the ground below me. No doubt, another trap, so I side-stepped it and continued onward.

I cringed at the musty smell and the presence of death, but, I learned from all the noise the thief was making as he was running, these undead creatures could be coming at me if I made too much noise, so I decided to sneak by, move slowly, and, hopefully, I did not disturb them.

Through the journey to find the inner sanctum, I happened across and ancient Nord bow. It still worked and I found some ancient Nord arrows. Those I would be saving for a later date. Right now, I wanted to use my hunting bow and iron arrows. I discovered that part of the temple had collapsed, revealing a cavern and water flowing down the mountain. Finally, I found the inner sanctum.

I noticed the door leading to it and then the golden claw. The claw was not just an ornament; it was a key to the sanctum, and, on the claw, there were symbols that needed to match up. I looked at the claw and the symbols and lined them up perfectly. The stone door groaned open, and I walked inside.

The room itself was massive and unfamiliar to me, but I felt a sense of calming as I walked in. I walked forward, almost in a hypnotic trance, awed by the scale, and by the writings on the wall. I have no idea what it meant, but I felt it calling to me. As I walked near to the markings, part of them began to glow. A rush of energy began to flow through me and I began floating in the air. I do not know what it was, but it was a feeling of relaxation. I was calm, focused on the word. I then said in a language that was not familiar to me the word 'force'. Whatever it was, it was something important.

As I was getting my bearings, attempting to figure out what it meant, a casket burst open behind me. I turned and saw an undead creature, more heavily armored and empowered than the others, coming at me. I grabbed my sword and he seemed to shout at me. I fell back and down the stone stair case, groaning as I got down. I looked up and blocked an incoming strike. He was wielding some sort of sword; a sword that glowed blue whenever he swung with it. I shook my head and watched as he was stalking me down the stairs. I grabbed my sword and jumped across the stream that had cut through the sanctum. He was following me. As he landed, I jammed my steel sword into him. He looked down at it and got ready for another attack. I pulled the sword quickly and narrowly avoided the sword strike. I could feel the breeze of the blade come near me as I ducked it. I then got my guard up for another attack.

We both seemed to circle around each other for a few seconds. It was as if this thing was testing me to see if I was worthy. I could also tell it did not have a lot of energy; whenever it did that force push, it got visibly weaker. Maybe this thing could not sustain itself with that type of attack. It was like the magic was escaping from its body and it wanted one more fight before it was stopped for good. Regardless, I had to end this quickly. I readied a blast of fire and aimed it at him. The thing screamed and dropped its sword. I ran up the stairs as it struggled and, launching myself off of the sanctum floor, cleaved the guardian in half.

I laid down on the sanctum floor, exhausted. I never had that intense a fight in my life. I grabbed his sword and felt the ancestral Nord blade's power creep on me. The power of ice. I smirked and took the sword. I then found the Dragonstone, as well as other treasures, in the guardian's crypt.

When I returned to Riverwood that night, I was never so happy to be exhausted. The legends behind Bleak Falls Barrow were very real, but I had conquered it. And that made me smile as I drifted to sleep, too tired to eat or drink…

Next Chapter:

Return of the Dragon…


	9. Chapter 9

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 9: Dragon Sighting

I woke up and, after eating a hearty meal at the inn, I headed back to Whiterun as fast as I could. The Dragonstone was cumbersome and heavy, as it caused my backpack to sink slightly from all the supplies I had in it. The stone was in an ancient language, much like what I saw carved on the wall, only, this time, I could not read it. It did not matter, considering I had to get it back to the court wizard. Hopefully, he could translate it.

Something happened up there on that mountain that I could not explain, yet, I was very comfortable with it happening. I do not know why, but the rush of power and knowledge that I received was exhilarating, and yet, I found myself slightly worried. What did it mean? How was I able to read what I saw? Did my ancestors worship have something to do with it? These were all very perplexing questions, ones that could be answered when the Dragonstone was translated.

I returned to White run and brought back the mammoth tusk I purchased at the trader in Riverwood. There were other artifacts there, and, hopefully, I could purchase them again when I got more gold together. I also met a man who was looking for his missing sword. It seemed a group of bandits stole it and were hiding out in a pair of towers near the river. I would definitely have to look into it; he seemed to be an expert in how to fight, and I would very much like to challenge him some time.

I returned to the palace and met the court wizard and the Jarl. I presented the Dragonstone to him, explaining my harrowing encounters in that place. I shivered, despite being near a fire. That place gave me chills the harshest winters in Skyrim could not match.

It was at this time that a guard burst through the doors of the palace and ran up to the Jarl. He was panting, explaining that a dragon had been circling the Western Watchtower and was poised to strike. The Jarl was a bit surprised at this, and ordered the Dark Elf and the guards, as well as myself, to go and investigate.

We gathered the guard and when we arrived at the site of the Watchtower, there were smoldering flames and burnt corpses. I readied my bow; there was no way I was going to fight a dragon in close quarters. After seeing the damage down in Helgram, ranged attacks were going to be the way I was going to go.

We fanned out, and the sharp odor of ash and death nearly knocked me off my feet. I covered my mouth, trying to breathe and praying that I would not succumb to the horrific smell. I remember a lot of what happened in Helgram; but there was more shouting, more chaos as people ran around in all different directions, attempting to find cover and take out the dragon. I shook my head and slowly crept up the stairs; the loud shouts still echoing in my mind. Some people scorched alive by the dragon's breath; sword and shield reduced to mere ashes and pools of metal in moments. I began to whisper a prayer for the souls of these soldiers, knowing that they did not deserve this.

Suddenly, a familiar shout came rocked the country side. I could hear the wings flap of the dragon coming down on top of us. I quickly ducked inside the tower and ascended the stair case. I could hear the men shouting outside, firing arrows and trying to kill the beast. These men had only heard of the dragon through legend and superstition, but, I bet there were scared to death of fighting one in real life. I was too; I had no weapon the last time I saw this thing. This time, though; I vowed things would be different.

I got to the top and saw the dragon on the ground, breathing its massive fiery breath on the soldiers. One of them got caught and was cooked in his armor, but the others managed to take cover as the blast hit. I could see the Dark Elf Captain using some spells to attack the dragon. I laid siege with the ancient Nord bow I found in the ruins, as well as some of the ancient arrows. Hopefully, they would be doing some damage.

The dragon took flight and looked at me as it was flying up. I saw its head rear back, getting ready for another fiery blast. I ducked back inside the tower just in time, but I did feel the blistering fire kiss my skin. I hissed in pain and cursed in my Elven tongue. I waited until the dragon had landed again and let loose another volley of arrows. I even tried to poison it, but that did not seem to work. The dragon looked up at me again. I do not know why, but I got the distinct impression it was trying to tell me something. I shook my head and let loose another arrow.

The dragon was visibly getting hurt, and, seeing as the damage that was done to it, it almost looked like it was going to die. It finally did when the Dark Elf captain let loose with her sword, splitting the dragon's skull in two.

I dashed down to the tower and examined the corpse of the dragon. It had a lot of useful materials and components for armor and weapons, and there were other treasures in the dragon's gullet that it must have swallowed when it was alive.

Suddenly, the dragon's eyes shot open and began to burn up. A sort of energy surrounded the dragon and, in moments, began to envelop me. I had that feeling again in Bleak Falls, only, this time, it was more than just knowledge. It was power. I could understand what I wanted and I let loose a force blast. I knocked over a carriage that had been upturned in the fighting and I was in awe, and so were the soldiers. They say I was dragonborn, whatever that meant.

After collecting my trophies, I returned to Whiterun, but only to find a violent shaking of the ground and air, as if a distant howl was summoning me. I explained to the Jarl what happened and he said that Graybeards were summoning me to their mountain because I was Dragonborn. I shook my head, wondering what this could mean. The Jarl also granted me as a Thane; a sort of subordinate position within his court. I guess that was what it meant. I could own property in Whiterun and I was granted a symbol of my office; an axe.

I was extremely honored, and worried. I do not know what type of responsibility I would have to possess, but I do know that I needed time to think about everything. I decided to rest up and would start to search for that warrior's sword. It may help me to sharpen my skills…

Next Chapter:

Sword searching…


	10. Chapter 10

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 10: Sharpen Skills Part 1

I understand that finding the Graybeards was an important step in learning about my newfound abilities as a Dragonborn, but, given how difficult the fight was with one of dragons, I thought it would be best to sharpen my skills and hunt some bandits down, in the hopes that, should another dragon arise in my travels, I would be better prepared to face them. After resting from the exhaustive battle, I decided to seek out the bandits that stole a sword from a particular individual in town.

It was sunset when I made my departure and I was able to arrive at the bandit's hideout under the cover of darkness. The bandits had turned the now decrepit towers into a hide-out, with a long stone bridge as the connecting point. I observed one bandit outside, preparing the evening meal. I hid in some of the bushes and fired an arrow at her. The arrow went into her back, but she fell onto the hot cooking pot and let loose a scream. I cursed my bad luck and quickly ducked against the stone wall. An archer at the top was blindly firing arrows into the darkness, hoping to hit something.

A minute went by and bandit, wearing a helmet with ram horns on either side of it, came running out, a sword drawn. I stayed quiet and waited for him to open the large, wooden doors. My heart raced slightly as I saw him with his massive battle axe, swinging about in the darkness, yelling for me to come out of hiding. I was thankful the night had concealed me in a cloak of darkness; otherwise, if I had done this during the day, he would have easily spotted me. I waited until his guard was down and then, with my sword, came from behind him and stabbed him in the back. I then let his body fall down and waited for silence.

When I knew the other bandits were no longer looking for me, I stealthily moved inside. I immediately found a chest, but there was something different about it. On the outside of it, there was a trap of some kind. No doubt, placed by the bandits to keep themselves honest so no one would take their loot. It was an obvious trap and quite easy to disarm, as I simply cut the rope on the outside. Once the trap was disarmed, the loot in the chest was mine.

Continuing onward, I remembered there was an archer on the top of this tower that had been raining down arrows. There was also another archer on the stone bridge, patrolling his route. Moving quietly, I slipped into the tower and made my way up the creaking wooden stairs. I bet, at one point, that this tower was actually used by a military force at one point to guard the river. It was probably a long time ago, before the great wars of Skyrim.

I slayed the archer, stabbing her with my sword and looked down. I saw the archer on the bridge and, taking the bandit's bow, fired some new steel arrows the archer bandit had. The bandit was soundly defeated as an arrow penetrated his neck.

I decided to quickly vacate the area and try to continue across, but, as I moved across the exposed bridge, I saw a faint movement coming from the other side. On a ledge in the other side was a bandit archer, and he was getting suspicious on what was happening. He had a bow ready and was waiting for movement. I stayed still; part of the bridge had a specific trench built into it. I hid there and used it as cover until I could see the moving archer bandit. I readied my bow and, when the moment was right, let loose an arrow.

The shooting stopped and a faint shadow of the bandit's corpse began falling down the rocky cliff into the river. I ran across to the other side of the bridge and into the tower. I pulled out my steel sword and caught my breath, hoping that was the last of them. So far, I had not encountered the sword in one of the towers, so it had to be here; and, more than likely, it was in the hands of the leader of the bandits. I continued up the stone steps, still keeping quiet. Then, the surfaces changed from stone to that creaking wood. I then noticed one more bandit at the top, seemingly looking out over the vast plains. There was a chest below where he was standing, but, I could not search it carefully for fear of alerting him, so I stabbed him in the back as I snuck up on him.

I was about to search the chest when something caught my eye. It was a bow, and, as I examined it, there was a magical mark of a lightning bolt inscribed on it. I could feel a magical aura about this bow and decided to take it with me. I searched through the chest, relieved that all the bandits were killed, and I did not have to worry about anyone sneaking behind me. I found some gold and some more goods that the bandits had taken from their raids, but also the sword I was sent to find. It was obviously old, but the hilt was ornate, with a motif on it I could not recognize. The sword had seen some wear on it from use, but it was still a good sword and could easily be sharpened to function again.

I returned to Whiterun and it was still nightfall. I checked into the inn and rested and, in the morning, returned the sword to its owner. He showed me a special technique using both a sword and shield. Though I was not found of the shield, the instruction he gave me in using the sword was nothing like I had ever seen before. The style was fascinating, as I found myself twirling about and fighting with the sword differently.

It was definitely a good way to fight, and it would definitely catch many off guard…

Next Chapter:

More Skill Sharpening…


	11. Chapter 11

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 11: Sharpen Skills Part 2

Silent Moons Camp was not far from Whiterun and it was an easy trek for me to go there. However, there was a giant's camp, with some mammoths nearby, and I decided to take the long way around, heading towards the mountains and, hopefully, avoiding any unnecessary attention. The last thing I would want would be a stampede of mammoths and giants coming after me. Though, seeing the hairy mammoths for the first time, with their large tusks, gave me a slight temptation to actually hunt one down, just to see if I could do it. I mean, if I fought a dragon and lived to tell about it, how difficult could it be to hunt a mammoth?  
I arrived after twilight at the camp, and it was pouring down rain. I brought my cloak over my head and crept carefully through the rain-drenched ground. Thunder and lightning echoed throughout the valleys; its brilliant flashes making me visible in the night one moment; vanish the next. This was actually a smart idea to come; the bandits would find it difficult to track me.

I managed to find a stone ledge with some considerable cover on one side of the camp and, taking my bow readying an arrow, concentrated on finding a target. Through a flash of lightning, I saw one of the bandits across from the stairs, armed with a bow. He was standing sentry and, memorizing his position, could make a faint outline of him in the darkness. I let loose the arrow, hoping that the rain and wind did not detract the arrow from its target.

It was a lucky shot for me, as he died. However, his bow fell off of his back and onto the stone ground. There was another bandit, closer and below me at the campfire, looking at what happened. He went to investigate. Luckily, he was not wearing any armor, but he did cast a spell on himself. I began to wait, knowing that this particular bandit had learned some magic.

While I was waiting, I could hear the sounds of a blacksmith hammering weapons. I knew he was above me, and the sounds of the metal had stopped clanging as he and two others began to investigate strange noises they heard. From my position, I could tell that two of them were also magically charged, but the blacksmith had a large weapon at the ready. I think it was a great sword.

A few more minutes had gone by and the bandits shook their heads, thinking that the disturbance had gone away. I waited until the sounds of the forge were working again and, seeing the bandit's magic expire, I fired my bow. He was more durable, but he did not last long as two arrows, one to his chest and one to his throat, silenced him. I was timing the arrow attacks to coincide with the thunderous storms of the night.

I snuck across the bandit's camp and leaned against a stone wall. I knew about the others at the forge, but I needed to lure them out of hiding. I fired an arrow blindly, hoping to hit something. The arrow hit the stone wall, but the noise was enough for the bandits to come investigate. I noticed that one of the magic-using bandits had brought along a bow and a quiver of arrows. I nodded in approval; they were preparing for guests.

I first took the mage bandit out with a quick pull of my bow. She dropped along the side of stairs, onto the rocks. I could hear her spine sickeningly crack as she died. The archer and the smith were coming at me, so I dispatched the smith first, ducking quickly out long enough to fire an arrow into his legs. He stumbled down the stone steps and fell down, dead. The archer and I were in a duel and he managed to knick me with an arrow when I darted out. I dashed for a stone pillar, the storm beginning to subside. The thunder and lightning were not there to give me light, but, the bandit did manage to wander close enough to torch light that I could see him. I wiped the blood from the side of my wound on my arm and peeked carefully around the corner. I saw him let loose an arrow and, when I saw it go by me, I rolled out of the way and fired my arrow. It hit him in the chest sending him stumbling back and landing on some of the rocks. My first instinct was to get to the top of the ruins and check to see if there were any more bandits. When I knew it was clear, I began sifting around the forge for weapons and armor, and found a book on how to make lunar weapons. Apparently, lunar weapons were more powerful during times of the full moon. I thought this was a good piece of knowledge to know about and took the books. After cleaning out anything of value, I made my way inside the ruins.

There was a fire as I opened and I took cover behind one of the pillars. Though there was no one near the campfire, there was definitely a sign that some bandits were in here. I worked my way through the ruin, quietly and slowly moving as best as I could without alerting anyone else to my presence. I did see an archer bandit at the end of the hall, and I fired my bow at her, killing her. But, my heart raced when a loud voice called out. I quickly took cover behind a wall and unsheathed my sword.

I waited for a moment and heard the shuffling of footsteps along the dirt floor. Someone was searching for me. I could tell it was a man's voice, and, from the way he walked and talked, it sounded like it was the bandit with the bounty on his head. He was slightly panicked and agitated, but he definitely was not going to go down without a fight. I knew that, if I wanted to collect the bounty on his head, I had to catch him off guard. I then heard his footsteps go down deeper into the depths of the ruins, and, putting away my sword, I got my bow ready.

It was dark, luckily, and I was able to have him in my sights as he came up the dark hallway again. I fired an arrow and he clutched his chest as it pierced his heart. He fell over dead. But, I had another problem. Another bandit heard it and came rushing to investigate. I, too, quickly got an arrow and fired, killing him. I just hoped that the ruins were clear and that I did not have to worry about any more bandits.

I took out my sword and began rifling through the goods, finding various jewelry, weapons, and potions that the bandits collected during their travels, or maybe with those they robbed and killed. In either event, it was mine, and, though there were no ancient artifacts for me to find, it was enough coin for me to make. Plus, I would be able to collect the bounty on the bandit that was here.

All in all, it was not bad…

Next Chapter:

Companions…


	12. Chapter 12

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 12: Companions

After giving it some thought, I decided to check out the Companions, a sort of fighters' guild in Skyrim. They were centered in Whiterun, and, as I entered their great dining hall, I was surprised at how such a place was furnished. Though it was not as splendid as a palace, it definitely felt like one, but, it also felt like a large home. The dining hall had enough seating for everyone, and the smells of cooked meats, fresh bread, fruit, cheese, stews, and other food items was passing through the room. Some were already eating and drinking, while, outside, I could hear the clanging of hammers of the forge, and the sounds of swords striking at each other in sparring matches.

It was interesting to join them and, I asked around at who was in charge, so that I could join. One of them told me to meet the advisor downstairs and, as I did, I could see that people seemed to be happy here, all of them equals. There was no rank or mark of status, save a few visible scars I saw on some of the Companions. Though, I could not help but wonder what was going on. At times, I swear I could hear some of the men growling at me, staring at me with such force that it seemed almost…predatory. No, it must have been my imagination.

The advisor I was sent to speak to was a graying old man, but he was still a warrior. He could still fight, and I would not want to underestimate him at all. I told him that I wanted to join and he looked at me. It felt like he was looking deep into my soul. I had to admit; it was a little uneasy for me to be scrutinized so intensely. He finally nodded and said that I had the potential to be a companion, and that Vilkas should go and test me.

In a few minutes, Vilkas and I were in the courtyard. Several other Companion members had gathered around, watching the fight. I saw that woman, Aela, standing in a corner, leaning up against the wall. She was the one that was hostile to me earlier, but I shook my head. I had to stay focused.

Vilkas and I pulled out our swords and we began to fight. He was faster than I thought, and I could barely defend myself against his opening attack. I rolled out of the way and circled around him. He came at me again, swing his sword. I ducked and struck back hard. Though he dodged it, I did damage his armor slightly. He took a few steps back and I noticed he almost smirked at me. Vilkas twirled his sword around again and then rushed me. I blocked the sword and kept my guard up, the two of us circling around. It did help him that he had his shield up, which I only managed to keep hitting.

The other Companions were remaining silent throughout the whole duel, as if they were studying me. However, I got the feeling that, despite his efforts, Vilkas was still holding back. He could have easily beaten me if he really wanted to, and, yet, he called off the fight. Vilkas nodded in approval, saying that I had definite potential, but I needed to polish up on my sword attacks. We sheathed our swords and then, Vilkas handed me his own sword and told me to go sharpen it. As part of the Companions, according to Vilkas, we all started off as whelps before we gain the respect of the others.

I was a little unhappy about it; I was an elven warrior and hunter. It was demeaning for me to be someone's errand girl. Still, I did it. As I brought the sword over to the smith, he asked me to do another errand; deliver a new shield to Aela. I nodded, grumbling to myself that I would never join the Companions at this rate. He seemed to have heard me and told me that we were all whelps once and that; simply by doing these small things, I would be on my way to something greater. I suppose he had a point in all that, so I brought the shield over to Aela and she thanked me. She then said Farkas had a job for me, to prove my worth as a Companion.

When I met Farkas, he told me about a shopkeeper named Arcadia that had been bullying a lot of the townsfolk and giving the Companions a rough time. He asked me to help straighten her out a little. He directed me to the shop. It was an alchemy shop, selling various potions and poisons. I walked in and noticed the stern gaze Arcadia gave me, muttering something about me being a Companion. I told her that it was not any of her business who I associated with, and that she was ripping people off.

She glared at me and leapt over the counter, tackling me on the ground. Though I could not kill this woman, the thought had occurred to me. But, if I wanted to make it into the Companions, I had to do what they told me to.

We rolled around on the floor, exchanging curses, fists, and kicks. She was definitely feisty, and it was a cat-fight I would not forget. However, she was not disciplined in the way of fighting like I was and I finally got her in a headlock and slammed her down on the counter. Arcadia held her head, groaning out loud. She was cut, but it was not deep.

I caught my breath, vowing never to be caught off guard like that again. She nodded and told me in her defeat that she would stop bothering the Companions and treat them nicely. I smirked and I limped out of the shop. It was surprising how spry that woman was, but, as I left, I wiped a little blood from my lips. I could hear some people talking about me as I passed by. I must have had a black eye or something that could be seen. I shook it off and returned to Farkas.

It was here, at this time, that the other Companions had gathered outside, and they all promoted me into the group. However, they all had a test for me to take…

Next Chapter:

Retrieving the Fragment…


	13. Chapter 13

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 13: True Test

However I may have been promoted into the Companions, there was still a test I had to take. According to the Harbinger of the Companions, a scholar had discovered a blade fragment from an ancient weapon. The fragment was located in Dustman's Cairn, and, with Farkas as my shield-brother, I was going to retrieve it. It was also an evaluation of my skills as a warrior that Farkas was going to evaluate me on, and testify to my valor and conduct on the battlefield.

I had no objections in going there, and it was located not too far away from the Silent Moons Camp I cleared out a few days ago. With that as a starting point, Farkas and I headed for the Cairn.

When we arrived, Farkas drew his sword and shield. He grumbled to me that he did not trust this scholar. According to Farkas, it seemed that the scholar was a mysterious fellow, that he had kept to himself mostly and only told the Companions about this find. I shook my head and tried to remain focus, but, a part of me was wondering if this would be anything like Bleak Falls Burrow.

As we entered the cave, the scent of wax immediately put me on the alert as I drew my bow. The candles were just recently lit. Perhaps the scholar was here and was just working on something else. I looked around and Farkas growled; someone was here recently and that they may have gone further into the ruin. Seeing as how the scholar was not currently in use of some of the supplies, I procured them in the hopes that they could be used for our benefit.

I stayed quiet and cautiously made my way through the Cairn. The musty smell of the cave caused me to cover my mouth and I could scarcely breathe. It was like this place was breathing death down into my body. Farkas did not seem to be affected by this, but, then again, he did not seem to show any signs of the scents getting to him.

We found our way into a chamber, and, it was obvious this was as far as we could go. Or, at least, it appeared to be. Farkas and I began looking around, in the hopes of opening the gate that barred our way. This whole place gave me chills. This place reminded me of the tombs of Bleak Falls.

I then spied a lever in one of the smaller alcoves and proceeded to pull it. As I did, an iron grate came down on top of me and blocked me exiting the alcove. Farkas shook his head, admonishing me for being an idiot. It was not my fault that this happened, but I suppose I did walk into it, and I have to pay the price. I tried to pull the lever back again, but, it was seemingly stuck. Great, I was stuck here, probably for the rest of my natural life, too.

Farkas said he would look around for a way to get me out. I sat down, grumbling to myself that I was this stupid. Then, I heard something. Armed men. I saw Farkas turn around and several men, none that I had seen before, had surrounded him. This was bad; Farkas was out there, alone to fight these guys and I was not able to help him. I could have tried shooting through the grates, but there was no way for the arrow to accurately travel through the small hole.

One of the men said they were with the Silver Hand and they would kill Farkas. Farkas seemed to relish in this and began to change. I watched as Farkas started growing taller, about a foot or so, and his arms were becoming hairy and clawed. From where I was, I could not see his face, but, I went out on a limb and thought that he had the face of a wolf, with large, pointed fangs.

I was stunned speechless; Farkas was a werewolf? That did explain why he did not have a good feeling about entering this place, and that also explained why he was checking me out so savagely. I swallowed nervously; never would I thought to be glad to be caught in a trap like this. This must be a sick joke the Companions played on their new recruits, right? Right?  
In the next few moments, I watched as the werewolf decimated the heavily armed Silver Hand soldiers, ripping and shredding their bodies with inhuman precision. I began holding my stomach, sickened by the sheer savagery Farkas was inflicting on everyone there. Then, he dashed away.

A moment later, the iron gate opened and Farkas was back to his normal self. I nervously pointed out he was a werewolf and he looked at me sternly, like I had some sort of problem with it. I covered my mouth in shock at the sight of the bodies. It was one thing to have a dragon swoop down on top of you and blast everything in sight; it was quite another to be traveling with a werewolf and witness this slaughter right in front of you. I grabbed one of their swords and Farkas looked at me evenly. He rolled his eyes,

"Do you really think I'm going to kill you?"

I looked back, snarling,

"You're a werewolf! You killed those people!"

Farkas, not moving, said simply,

"If I didn't, they would have killed me, shield-sister. Besides, I saved your life."

He did have a point. He did save me. If he really did want to, he could have killed me whenever he wanted to. I still kept my guard up,

"What's to stop you from killing me once you find the fragment?"

Farkas casually said,

"My word, and the fact that the other Companions would kill me if they had the chance."

I examined the sword I was holding and noticed it was made of silver. I decided to take it and maybe some of the potions and rings the Silver Hand members had on them. As I walked by, Farkas grabbed my arm and he pulled me in for a lustful, forced kiss. I struggled to get away and, when I pulled away, I slapped him. Farkas took it and grinned back, licking his lips,

"You hit a girl, shield sister."

I was infuriated and watched as he casually strolled down the newly opened hallway. I had an uneasy feeling, for the fact that I was adventuring with a werewolf, and the fact that there might be more of those Silver Hand hunters running around down here. Maybe they got to the scholar and were using him to set up an ambush.

And, I was right about the Silver Hand, and there being more of them. I laid in cover and fired an arrow through one of them in the chest, penetrating their armor. He keeled over and dropped while one of his compatriots saw where the arrow came from and was going to come after me. However, Farkas blocked the attack and skewered the Silver Hand soldier with his sword.

Many of them were lying in ambush, while others had been camped around and about throughout the ruins. I even saw one hiding out inside a coffin, often reserved for those that were buried. These people had no self-respect for the dead; violating their coffins like it was a bed at a cheap inn. I shook my head and sighed.

We reached one of the inner chambers and saw several more Silver Hand members fighting the undead that had risen up. I decided to test out my new Bow of Shocks and cautiously let an arrow loose. I was lucky to have the arrow slip through the grated area we were above, but, I had the feeling that they would be coming up to investigate. Hopefully, the undead Nords that were here resting would hear them and go after them.

As Farkas and I continued onward, we did discover that some of the undead had indeed thinned out the Silver Hand soldiers, and, all that remained were one or two. I let loose an arrow from the bolt of shocks, and I could see the arrow become a bolt of lightning as it sped to its target. Thanks to their weapons and armor, the lightning coursed through the Silver Hand soldiers' bodies as they were electrocuted. I definitely had to hang on to this bow.

I took my regular bow out and, after looting what we could, Farkas and I managed to find the innermost sanctum, where the fragment was. I got an uneasy feeling, seeing so many coffins lining the walls. I had the distinct feeling this was a trap of some kind and Farkas said he would cover me while I retrieved the fragment. I cautiously did so, and, as I approached, I saw the same dragon writing I did when I first encountered it in Bleak Falls. I approached it and found one word that caught my eye; fire. I began absorbing the knowledge of the word; the coursing energy through my body was exhilarating. Farksa had heard that the Dragonborn had been found in Skyrim, and he probably knew that I was the Dragonborn, but he had no idea that it would be so spectacular.

I opened my eyes again, speaking the word fire. However, nothing came out. I had to find a dragon's soul to absorb to unlock the power, but it was useful to have. I turned around, seeing Farkas' expression on his face and I almost smirked at him. Though he would not admit it, he was nervous. The werewolf's power within him seemed to dwarf my power as a Dragonborn.

I then took the fragment and we were about to escape when, suddenly, the coffins began opening and the undead Nords were coming at us. Many of them had axes and large weapons and, pulling out my sword, Farkas and I prepared to do battle.

Farkas commented to me,

"Now would be really good time for you to show me this new power you have!"

I shook my head,

"Sorry, but I only know the word. I can't access it until I absorbed a dragon's soul."

He sliced through an undead sword fighter and groaned,

"Now you tell me."  
I did have the other word I knew; force. I unleashed it at several of the undead Nords and they all collapsed in a heap. Though it did not significantly damage them, it was enough for Farkas and I to get into a better, more defensible position. Farkas ordered,

"Up the stairs!"

I ran up the stairs, slicing through two more of the undead Nords. Farkas kept the others at bay with his shield while I unleashed another force attack, sending them hurtling on top of each other.

Through the chaos and confusion, I did see a coffin that had been hollowed out, and it led to a cramped corridor. I pointed it out and Farkas ran for it. I quickly followed, narrowly avoiding one of the undead Nord's axe strikes. We quickly slipped down the close quarters corridor and came out to near where we started; the entrance to the Cairn. Farkas and I quickly moved a table to block the undead Nord's way.

There was also the decision of returning to Whiterun, not wanting to find out if that would hold them back. It was safe to say that it did, at least, for the time being. I was exhausted and, after presenting the fragment to the Harbinger and the other Companions, I flopped down on one of the beds. I was too tired to even eat, or even bring up the fact that one of the Companions was a werewolf…

Next Chapter:

Getting away from it all…


	14. Chapter 14

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 14: Getting Away

Having had my fill of Whiterun for now, I checked my map and decided to start journeying around the rest of Skyrim. I had heard of a Daedric Shrine near Winterhold, and decided to investigate the town. I also heard that there was a college of magic in the area, the College of Winterhold, and would be intrigued to see what that was like. I hired a carriage and was on my way to Winterhold. The journey was long and arduous, and, as I stayed in the carriage; I could feel the winds getting colder and snow starting to fall. I huddled my thick cloak around me, already missing the slightly warmer temperatures of Whiterun. But, I finally did reach the town of Winterhold.

Winterhold may have had a prestigious college of magic, but that was about it. Some of the houses in town were splinters; shells of their former selves. The place had fallen on hard times, and, it may not have necessarily been because of the war. I decided to stop by the tavern and order some hot cider before continuing looking around. As I sat near the fire, staring at the embers, I could overhear some people talking. One of them complained why they were staying in such a dead town. Another said they could not leave, that their family would die here because that was where they all lived and settled. I continued sipping my cider in silence.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar. A dragon was attacking the town. I dropped my wooden cup and rushed outside, my bow drawn. The dragon was a fire-breathing one, as I felt a hot blast of its breath rip through an abandoned building. I fired my bow, using the special Ancient Nord arrows I managed to scrounge from my adventures into ancient ruins. I fired my arrows, hoping to draw its attention.

And, I think I succeeded. The dragon looked at me with an annoyed look and, taking off, began to swoop down on top of me. I ducked behind the chimney of one of the abandoned houses, narrowly avoiding the talons of the dragon. Though the talons missed me, it did strike the stone chimney and drop some of it on top of me. I collapsed onto the snow-covered wood of the house, feeling its icy grip was almost as strong as the fiery breath of the monster that I was trying to slay.

I groaned, thankful I was not injured severely, and, as I got up, I could see some of the guards firing arrows at the beast, as well as one of the College's students unleash magical bolts onto the dragon. I shook my head, attempting to regain my focus and, taking position in another ruined house, fired another arrow. The beast was weakening and let out an inhuman moan of pain as the mage that was there cast the final spell of lightning and slayed the great dragon.

I sighed in relief, and I quickly ran to the dragon to scavenge it for the soul and bones. If I ever learned how to craft armor and weapons made of dragon bones, I would be very happy. I then felt the soul of the dragon coming into my body, the energy of the beast coursing through my veins. I closed my eyes and felt body blister with power. I was warm and comfortable, like bathing in the hot sun. Then, the feeling disappeared, as the soul of the dragon had been fully drained.

The townspeople could not believe what they had witnessed. The dragonborn had come to their down and was going to save Skryim. I decided at that point to visit the Jarl of Winterhold. He seemed impressed by my Dragonborn abilities, but he did not let his mood get too uplifting. He was still dour about the lack of respect he was getting from the other Jarls about how little his political influence seemed to be in Skyrim. He asked me if I could retrieve a helm from the Driftshade Sanctuary, near Dawnstar. He also told me about a bounty on another dragon that was terrorizing Winterhold.

Another dragon? I looked on the map and saw that it was near the shrine of Azura. If I went to the shrine of Azura, then, maybe, I could use that as a reference point and find the mountain where the dragon was lying nesting. I bowed graciously and began stalking for the dragon.

The dragon itself was not to be taken lightly and, as I journey through the snow covered mountains of Winterhelm, the piercing cold winds and the lack of sunlight made it extremely dangerous to travel into the mountains. I also had to avoid many of the saber cats that were running around out there, naturally camouflaged in the snowy valleys and rocks. I stayed quiet, and moved through the snow as quickly and quietly as I could, hopefully not getting one of these magnificent beasts after me. I stayed close to the rocks and seemed to move around. Later, I did find the Shrine of Azura, but, I had to circle around part of the mountain to get there. As I looked for some shelter against the biting cold, a priestess of the Shrine was waiting for me and said she had seen my arrival coming to this point.

I could feel something unnatural against the shrine. It was a Daedric shrine, and they seemed demonic in origin. I shook my head, not wanting to have anything to do with it, but, a part of me was being hypnotized by this shrine. It may have been my curiosity, but I wanted to know more. The oracle said that there was an artifact that had to be returned was Azura's Star, a sort of gem. I would be greatly rewarded if I returned it.

Never in my life did I want to run out of there. I could not seem to get away fast enough, that my fear was causing me to run around in all different directions. Finally, I found a gorge and traveled through it and came across where the dragon was supposedly nesting. I shook my head and heard the screams of the beast overhead. I swallowed nervously; I think I was better off at the shrine. I took my bow out and waited for cover as the dragon circled above me. I could feel an unnatural coldness as the dragon breathed. This was an ice-breathing dragon. The cold air it emitted was unlike anything I had previously experienced. The harshest winters of Skyrim were nothing compared to what this beast was unleashing.

As it swooped overhead, I fired several steel arrows from my bow, hoping to wound it. Though wounded the beast, it only served to make him angry. I then saw him coming at me and I made a dash for another pillar. The pillar provided enough cover for me as the dragon landed near it and unleashed a breath attack. Thankfully, the pillar was holding up against the ice-breath of the dragon, but I could not rely on it forever. I doused my arrows in some poisons I had accumulated through my travels and tried to fire one of these arrows. Despite me wearing gauntlets, I felt the dragon's icy breath cut through them to the bone. The wind was not helping, for, when I did get a clear shot, its huge wings would deflect my arrow from hitting a vital spot on the dragon's body.

I grumbled in frustration and prayed that, with each shot, I was hitting something vital on the dragon's body. I then noticed that language again, written on a stone wall. I shook my head; I had to focus first on stopping this dragon from turning me into an icy sculpture. Also, I was tired; the trek up the mountain was arduous enough, and the fight with the dragon was only making things worse.

Somehow, I felt the determination that was inside me as the Dragonborn give me the strength to carry on this fight. I closed my eyes, focusing on the flaps of the dragon as it took off into the winter skies. I imagined the ice dragon's majestic wings; flapping them to create a storm. I opened my eyes again and got ready to fire an arrow as the dragon swooped down. The dragon craned his neck, getting ready for another icy breath attack. I launched the arrow, and it arced right up to the target, hitting the dragon in the chest. The arrow was really a distraction and, as the dragon launched his breath, I rolled out of the way. It landed behind me and I spoke the word for fire. A powerful, hot breath came at the dragon and he was particularly surprised at that. He caught fire, his scales blistering from the heat. As he tried to get away, I pulled out my sword and jumped on top of him, plunging the sword down into his neck. He was defeated.

The word then activated from the stone wall and, in a moment, both the dragon's soul and the knowledge of the word came to life. It was the dragon word for 'frost', and I could freeze opponents with it, encasing them in sold ice.

Never did a warm bed feel so good when I returned to Winterhelm. It was a rest I clearly earned…

Next Chapter:

Bounty hunting…


	15. Chapter 15

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 15: On the Hunt Again

In the morning, I paid a visit to the Jarl of Winterhelm and his steward greeted me at the front door. He presented me a bounty letter for the capture or death of an infamous bandit at a fort just south of Dawnstar. I decided to trek to Dawnstar and check out the fort for myself. After fighting two dragons, it would be nice to hunt something a little less hostile.

The journey to Dawnstar was uneventful as I scurried through the woods, not letting the cold air bother me. I was thankful that the sun had risen and there was no snow falling down on me. I still had the heavy cloak with me, for the air was still cold, but there was little wind. I managed to reach Dawnstar before dusk.

I observed the town and found it to be a small fishing village, with a mining operation nearby. I took my helmet off and wiped the sweat off of my brow. Not wanting to adventure in one of the coldest nights of the year, I checked into the tavern and bought a room. I ate a hot meal, allowing the fire to warm my bones. I even heard one of the bards playing a flute, and then playing a harp, regaling the small crowd with tales of times past. I began to think of my family again. They probably thought I was dead, either caught up in the war, or a wild animal had gotten to me and devoured me. If I ever return to my village, I will have many a story to tell them of my adventures in Skyrim.

I yawned and stretched my arms high. I was exhausted and quickly went to bed. I knew I had to continue exploring the powers of the legend of the Dragonborn, but the Greybeards may want to test me physically, and I was not ready to go there until I learned how to control this power I had.

In the pre-dawn hours, I awoke and traveled to the fortress, maintaining my silence through the snow-covered land. I could see figures moving about, patrolling the area. No doubt, more bandits. I found a secluded spot, well shaded within the darkness and fired an arrow at one of them. The arrow penetrated the bare chest of one of the bandits and he quickly fell. I was a bit surprised, and relieved at the same time, that most of the bandits had not been wearing a lot of armor, and it was mostly fur that had been used to keep them warm. By the time the other bandits saw what had happened, they too, were no longer an obstacle.

The bandit that had the bounty was inside, so I carefully picked the lock on one of the doors and opened it. As I walked in, I saw that the head bandit was sitting and drinking. There were other beds in the room, no doubt for the other bandits that were hiding out here until it was time for their next raid. I carefully unsheathed my sword and crept slowly behind the bandit leader and slit his throat as he laughed.

Though it was typical of an assassin to do this type of work, I did not feel as guilty as I would have liked to. A hunter is like an assassin; stalking a target, relishing in waiting patiently for the moment to strike. The difference is an assassin relishes in the kill, while myself, a hunter, respects the prey.

I was about to leave when I saw a key dangling around the neck of the bandit leader. It seemed to be a key to this fort and, when I was outside, I noticed a smelter in a corner of the fort. I had no idea why they would have such a thing, but, as I looked around, I saw a journal for a mining operation inside the fort. Apparently, the bandits had come across a vein of iron ore and were devoting a considerable amount of manpower to extract all the iron they could to make weapons. That explained the smelter outside. They were making weapons to help themselves carry out more raids.

I opened the other door, the one near the smelter, and the scent of musty air greeted me. I held my hand to my mouth as to not gag on the dust that was greeting me, and I could hear the sounds of tools clanging against the ground. No doubt, bandits were mining the ores. That would be a good cover; they would be so preoccupied with the noise that I could pick a few off and they would be none the wiser.

As I stealthily moved down into the depths of the mine, I saw a hole, and one of the bandits was right below, mining away. His skin was glistening with sweat, and, as he rubbed his brow, he grumbled that he disliked working so hard. I smirked and then, looking up, saw another bandit with his back to me. I took out my bow and fired and arrow, killing him. The sounds of the mining operation continued uninterrupted.

It was a struggle to breathe down here, and I held my hand to my mouth again, attempting to gain composure. I should have grown accustomed to the scent of the underground, but the scent of the forest was far more pleasant. There, if I needed to get away, all I had to do was to simply move to another part of the forest, and the air would be crisp and clean. I shook my head, attempting to focus, and then continued onward.

I finally reached the operations part of the mine and, in moments, saw several bandits hard at work. Two were digging, while one seemed to wander around on guard duty. I fired my bow at the wandering guard and watched as he fell over. One of the mining bandits saw this, but I had already taken cover behind one of the pillars and waited as the other two bandits began searching for me. I carefully appeared around the corner and watched as one was going upstairs to investigate, while the other was staying down. I waited until that one went out of sight and fired my arrow at the one bandit that remained. He clutched his chest as he died, the arrow sticking out of his heart. I then pulled out my sword and waited around the corner while the last bandit came back down. He never saw it coming.

I sheathed my sword and began coughing, finally able to deal with all of the harsh air that was in here. I retreated outside and hacked and wheezed until I felt the cool, pure Skyrim air fill me again.

Before I returned to Winterhelm, I decided to pursue a lead on the helm that the Jarl of Winterhelm wanted me to find…

Next Chapter:

Silver at Hand…


	16. Chapter 16

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 16: Hunt for the Helm

I looked on the map, drinking some water from a nearby spring. The Driftshade Sanctuary was not far from the fort that I was currently at, and, since it was nearing dusk, I could get there under the cover of darkness, should it turn out to be the resident of bandits.

As I journeyed through the snow-covered lands in silence, I could feel a chill to the air. It would be snowing soon, and it would take a toll on me should I not move fast enough. I could see my breath as I stalked the woods, avoiding the wolves and spiders that seemed to plague the land of Skyrim.

I finally came to the sanctuary and, as I leaned against one of the downed pillars, I could hear two voices. Both were male and I readied my bow, just in case of trouble. I quietly took breaths, feeling my body warm with both anticipation and worry. I peered around the snow covered pillar slowly and saw the two men. One was standing on top of the entrance way, having made a sort of makeshift guard tower, while the other was below, near the campfire. I then noticed the emblems on their clothes.

Silver Hand.

This was bad. I remembered fighting them when I went with Farkas to find that fragment. I took a steel arrow out and waited until both of them had their backs turned to their tasks. The man in the Watchtower clearly did not want to be there, as his friend was enjoying himself near the fire. The man in the watchtower turned around to look for something and I quickly fired my arrow at the man cooking. I did not let the cold bother me at that moment, but I was slightly shivering. Luckily, my shot did not miss and I quickly ducked behind the snow covered pillar again.

The sounds of pots clanging together and collapsing over the fire caused the one Silver Hand member in the watchtower to look down and see what had become of the cook. I could hear him pull out his sword and begin to look around, the snow crunching under his feet. I got another arrow ready and tried to hear where he was coming from to take a shot. I peered again and could see his back to me as he examined the body. I took this opportunity to strike and he did not even feel the arrow enter his back as he died.

A thought occurred to me at that moment; what was the Silver Hand doing here? Could it be they were looking for this helm as well? I shook my head, wondering what this could all mean. I carefully entered the sanctuary, a rush of heat coursing through my body. I was able to stave off the bite of the cold air, and, as I continued inside, I had to be careful not to alert any more members of the Silver Hand to my presence. I stalked every corner carefully, knowing full well that this band of werewolf hunters were not to be trifled with. I almost regret not having Farkas around but, if I do this on my own, then it would prove to myself, and to the Companions, that I have come a long way from earlier in my travels.

As I continued onward through the dark, musty sanctuary, I found several more of these Silver Hand members preparing more silver weapons. It looked like they were taking up residence in this area, like it was going to be a base to launch attacks from, or to capture werewolves or something. I do not know the particulars, but, should I encounter a werewolf here, there is no way in the gods' names I am letting it out; for fear that I could turn into a werewolf as well. I saw Farkas turn into one and, though the power is tempting, I already had enough power as the Dragonborn. I was not about to allow a corruptible idea like wanting to be a werewolf take grasp of me.

Or a vampire for that matter.

This sanctuary did not live up to its name, as it seemed more like a prison. Part of the wall near the smith had collapsed, revealing an ice cavern. I journeyed into it, and could hear the sounds of a mournful howl echoing throughout. It was readily apparent that the Silver Hand had a werewolf around and it was in a cage.

The faint smell of blood tainted this place, and, as I continued searching and eliminating Silver Hand members, it was all too obvious that some werewolves that were captured here had tried to escape. I saw claw marks and blood splatter through some of the halls. They were desperate to escape their tormentors and, after seeing what Farkas and I had to endure, I could see why they wanted to leave. Anyone would, considering how they treated me. They must have thought I was a werewolf as well, and that would try to kill me on sight with their silver weapons.

After exiting the ice cavern, I found three more Silver Hand members talking and drinking. I steadied my bow and fired, managing to kill one with my arrow. The other two were up and actively looking for me. I do not know what came over me, but I pulled out one of their silver swords and engaged them both. It was stupid, I know, but I wanted to do this.

Both of them had great swords and, when one of them tried to take a swing at me, I dodged and rolled out of the way. I blocked the second strike, but staggered back. I waited until the sword came down and ducked out of the way. A counterattack came as I plunged the sword into the Silver Hand's chest, killing her.

The other came at me, wanting to avenge her friend's death. I ducked behind a pillar and heard the silver sword clang against the stone pillar. She hissed in pain and I managed to circle around the pillar and hit her in the side. She was a bit surprised that she let her guard down and watched the blood seep out of the wound. She tried to reach for the weapon, but collapsed.

I held my side; apparently one of attacks cut me. It was not too deep, but I did spend about an hour casting healing magic on me, trying to repair the damage. The Silver Hand did manage to find the helm. It was in a big treasure chest in a corner, along with other goodies.

After my return to Winterhelm, I decided that it was time for me to spend some of my hard earned fortune, and maybe take a load off my back too. I wonder if that house in Whiterun is still for sale?

Next Chapter:

New Neighbor…


	17. Chapter 17

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 17: Housing

When I returned to Winterhold, I collected my bounty on the bandit leader and returned the helm to the Jarl. He was very pleased and would make me a Thane, but under the condition that I helped more people in Winterhold before I would be allowed to own any sort of property. I also found another bounty letter about a bandit in the far west. I decided to wait on that one and proceeded to the merchant in town to sell some of my treasures that I had discovered.

As the shopkeeper and I were exchanging items for coin, she told me a story of how a deal she had went bad, and she was stuck with an item that she could not sell, nor did she seem to know anything about; a dragon's claw. I asked to see it and she presented it to me.

I was surprised; I had seen this type of claw before; it was much like the golden claw I retrieved from Bleak Falls Burrow. I saw the three symbols on it and asked anything else about it. The shopkeeper said the person that sold it to her said that it was a key to a fortress containing riches, but that was as far as she knew. She had no idea if it was valuable or not, and she had no idea where the fortress was.

I examined the claw again. The shopkeeper said it was made of coral. That meant that the keyhole this belonged to was in a place that was near, or under, water, where, assumingly, a lot of coral grows. I asked how much it was and she told me it was worth fifty gold. I bought it and she asked if it was really valuable to come back and tell her. She was relieved to have gotten rid of it.

As I left, I realized that carrying around such burdensome goods was not becoming of me; that I needed a lighter load to move about, and that, if I were to delve into more dungeons as I found them to regain lost artifacts, hopefully of the elven variety, I would need a place to store unnecessary equipment and goods. My coin purse was heavy, so I decided to head back to Whiterun by carriage and see what that property was for sale. As I spoke to the attendant at the castle, he explained that there was a house for sale, and that he would make any and all arrangements for me to move into the kingdom. I smiled and handed him almost all of my coins for that to work. He carefully counted, taking into account the property's value and the price of furnishings.

As he counted, I could see the Dark Elf warrior giving orders and overseeing some soldiers. She barely took notice of me, except a nod of acknowledgement. The attendant at the castle finished counting and gave back my purse. It was noticeably lighter than before, but there was still a considerable amount of gold left. I smirked and he handed me the key. My housecarl, a sort of loyal bodyguard, would be helping me move in and would be waiting for me at the home.

My new home was originally an old, cobwebbed place when I first entered, but, as I lay some equipment down and began cleaning up and moving things in, it was much bigger than I thought it would be. The space was right, and it was not too often that a wood elf would eventually settle down in civilization. This was more of a place to store equipment rather than a permanent residence, but I was not going to deprive my housecarl of any less of the amenities of home.

Lydia, the housecarl, and I spent the better part of the day working, cleaning the place up as we got all of the furniture positioned in the right places and all of my gear finally stashed away.

I laid on the bed exhausted that night, the soft bed brushing up against my body. I had made many campsites where I had slept on the soft forest floor, but this was different. I curled up and went to sleep, and, in the morning, I would be hunting some trolls…

Next Chapter:

Troll Hunting, and a Mystery…


	18. Chapter 18

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 18: Night to Remember

There was a cavern of trolls not too far away from Whiterun. I awoke in my bed and proceeded to hunt them in that cavern. The trolls had been terrorizing the farms around Whiterun. It would be a good hunt for me, and I could try out my fire breath attack that I learned.

I stalked the lands and followed the tracks of the trolls to a cave. The Ritual stone was right above it and, though it would not help me fight the trolls, it would be good to know where it was. As I entered the cave quietly, the unforgettable stench of the creatures was all too noticeable. One of them was in front of me, seemingly walking around. The hair and swampy smell that they possessed almost made me gag, as if the swamp itself had manifested into these hideous forms. I drew my bow back and fired an arrow at the troll. The arrow struck something vital, but, I could see the wound already starting to heal, and let loose another arrow. I kept firing, but, then, I heard the sound of a second troll coming in my direction. The first one was defeated quickly, but the second one saw the first fall and saw me. I swallowed nervously and saw the maddened monster come at me, roaring in fury. I was terrified, to be honest. I was not equipped to handle such a beast this close.

Then, I remembered the word. I projected my voice and said the word 'fire' in the ancient language of dragons. A scorching hot blast of fire incinerated the troll in seconds, combusting into flames. I watched carefully and saw the trolls were now dead. I covered my mouth with my cloak; they smelled even worse after being set ablaze. I crept by the corpses and looked around the cavern for a little while, making sure that these were the only ones.

The place had been used by two bandits, but, the trolls did not seem to mind, as the bandits' corpses were littered with flesh eaten off, limbs torn to pieces, and their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. I then saw a bow and noticed a magical inscription on it. It was a weird bow, but I decided to take it with me. I may have some use for it. Since there were no more trolls that I could find, I returned to the Companions and received my payment.

The hunting of trolls made me noxious; from their frightful appearances, to their horrible smell. I needed something to make me forget those horrid creatures, so, I went to the local tavern and had myself some wine. There, a man in black robes was sitting, and, he noticed me. He looked at me and said that he would wager his staff in a drinking contest. I looked at him and studied him for a moment. He seemed all to cavalier to in his attitude. Sam, that was his name, said that we would have to drink some very strong liquor for this contest to be valid. After what I went through, I doubt there was anything that strong that would make me forget, but, I accepted.

We downed the first drink, and my body felt numb. I took a sniff of the alcohol in this drink. It did not seem natural, yet, I could detect there were berries and sweet herbs in this concoction. I shook my head, rubbing my forehead for a moment. Sam looked at me and chuckled, coaxing me into having another. I downed the second drink and could see Sam noticeably wince at that. I winced too, and my teeth began to go numb. My speech was slurred and I was beginning to mumble incoherently. Sam then said in what I could barely understand him that, if I drank this last one, I would win his staff. I felt a power over me, compelling me to drink, and I did.

That was what I remember last, before blacking out.

When I regained consciousness, I began holding my head. I was hung over, but the liquid was so good. I groaned and a woman said to me that I had made a royal mess. I looked up and saw a woman; a priestess, I think, tapping her foot impatiently. I held my head, groaning,

"What happened?"

The priestess said,

"You desecrated the temple of Dibella, you drunken Bosmer."

I looked up,

"What do you mean? What temple of Dibella?"

As far as I knew, there was no temple of Dibella in Whiterun. The priestess said,

"You are in Markeith."  
Whatever migraine I had at that moment was forgotten as a moment of lucidity broke through. Markeith is on the other side of the world, a great distance away from Whiterun. I asked,

"Please, tell me what happened."

The priestess folded her arms,

"First, clean up the temple. It's a mess."

I was in no mood for this. Sam must have tricked me and reneged on his deal. I made an offer,

"What if I made a donation to the temple? Would that suffice?"

I had considerable gold on me, and none of my equipment was missing. The priestess nodded,

"It is fair. There was talk that you went to Rorikstead, but, that was all that you were saying. You were mumbling and ranting incoherently."

I groaned in my head, and then, clenched my fists down in anger. I was going to make Sam pay for this big time. I got my equipment and returned to Whiterun.

From Whiterun, it was a westward journey back to Rorikstead. From what I understood of it, it was a small farming village out near Whiterun. I felt the sun, brighter than normal, on me. I shook my head; my hangover was not helping matters. I should have gone at night. What was I thinking? I guess I should be grateful that Sam did not violate me, or that I any other man did. It must have been that drink. It must have been laced with something that caused me to become addicted to it. I shook my head; Sam was really going to pay for this.

As I approached the small farming village, a farmer came up to me. He was not happy in the least, accusing me of selling his prized goat to a giant. I groaned; what was I doing here? I offered to try and retrieve the goat back, but, that was not the problem. I had to deal with a giant. This has not been one of my better days.

It was still light out and I knew this was going to be difficult. I doubt that explaining to the giant that all of this was a big misunderstanding was not going to get me what I wanted, and that, more than likely; the giant would come after me full on. My best bet would be to sneak the goat away when he was not looking and make a dash back for the farm.

It did not take long for me to find the giant and the goat. I stayed behind some rocks and watched as the giant was gazing peacefully at the sky, the goat not too far away from him. I cringed as I saw the huge club he was wielding. Though giants are gentle; when provoked, they are a force to be reckoned with. I wish I had come at night; that way, it would be a lot easier for me to get this thing.

I slowly stalked the grass, careful not to make any sound. As I approached the goat, I coaxed it to come at me. The goat, knowing my scent, began to clop its hooves in my direction. The giant must have been enjoying his view; he barely heard me. I then slowly moved down the rocks and, when I was sure the giant would not hear me, picked the goat up and made a mad dash back to the farm.

I never knew I was so strong, hefting a goat with all of my supplies, but, I was not about to allow the giant to get the best of me. I managed to get to the farm and deliver the goat back, but my heart was beating rapidly. I was glad this part of the journey was over. The farmer was glad to have his goat back, but, if the giant ever found out what I had pulled, this place was not going to survive its wrath. He then told me to visit Ysolda in Whiterun about an engagement ring. That was why I sold the goat in the first place. I blinked and shrugged; I had helped her in the past and gave her a mammoth tusk. I then retuned back to Whiterun.

I got to her just as she was closing up shop and talked to her about an engagement ring. Ysolda said that I had told her a story about an engagement that I had at a little place in the hills; where there were fireflies that danced around that night. The place was called Witchmist Grove and I was to head there for my own ceremony.

I held my head again; did I get married to Sam? Was that all this was about was an engagement? If it was, Witchmist Grove did not sound or seem like a romantic place for a wedding. And, I would be right, for, when I got there, I could feel an uneasiness about the place. I smelled burning oil and dead flesh littered the air. I then saw a horrifying creature; one that I had never seen before. She was wearing the ring, but she looked more bird than woman. Almost like a harpy of some kind; with talon-like feet and hands. She also had wings and a bald scalp. Her name was Moira and, as I approached, she yelled that the man was hers and no one else's. Moira then launched a massive fireball spell at me.

I ducked out of the way, barely. This fireball attack was a lot like the dragon's breath, only this thing moved slightly faster. I pulled out my bow and fired an arrow. The arrow did her damage, but she readied another fireball and launched it at the tree. I ducked away and watched the tree catch fire. I rolled to another area of the forest and took cover, but she was bent on coming after me. I kept firing arrows and dodging fireballs, and, at times, I could feel the blistering heat brush up against my skin. I swallowed nervously; this was the hardest fight that I had ever been in.

I had to keep her busy; but the whole grove was on fire. Maybe, if I were lucky, a falling branch would kill her, but I have my doubts on that. Moira was not to be taken lightly; whatever she was; she was cursed with something, and I thought that the relief of death would alleviate her suffering.

Another arrow went flying, this time into her heart, or, what I thought to be her heart. I watched as she fell and the fire nearly consuming her body. I retrieved the ring and got away just to see the whole grove go up in a blaze of fire. I returned the ring to Ysolda and she told me of a place; Moryunstar, where the ceremony would actually be held. I sighed; Sam was now going to pay; more so than I wanted him to before!

I trekked to this place around dusk and finally reached the fortress at night. I could see movements in the darkness, and hear someone speaking in a language I did not recognize. I slowly stalked inside the outer fortress wall, and saw some people wearing dark robes, moving about. It looked like they were mages of some kind, maybe necromancers. I looked around and saw they only had daggers on them. Some of them were not even wearing weapons.

The fact that they were unarmored was a good and bad thing for me; if I caught them by surprise; then I could pick off a few and retreat into the darkness before they would have an opportunity to strike back. Of course, I run the risk of them casting some sort of magical spell that increases their defense, something my arrows would not be able to penetrate. Still, it was worth the risk.

I picked off the first one as she was standing watch. The others turned and began a search for me. I ducked to the outer wall, pressing my body against it and waited, my heart beat going up slowly. As I waited for the moment to strike again, I could hear them casting spells, mostly armor ones, and maybe some other offensive spell, trying to look for me. I could feel a chill to the air as they did happen. They were probably ice mages. I shook my head and waited until the scuffling stopped. That was when I began picking them off, one at a time.

By the time the exterior of the fortress was cleared, I had killed five mages, mostly conjurers and destruction specialists. They were wielding ice powers. I shivered a little, the remnants of their attacks still getting to me. I cleaned what little treasure they had, and continued inside. Once inside, I could hear two mages talking in a room down the hall. The place had a surreal effect to it; almost as if this place was magically fortified. As I continued to move in, I focused on the room they were in. One of the mages was arguing that it was unnecessary to have a smith operating; considering they were mages. The other one, the one sitting down, said that it was a nice thing to have in case their magic failed. I took an arrow and waited until the one talking had turned around and fired my arrow at the one sitting down. The first mage turned, but, by the time he saw what had happened, he too, was down. I walked into the smith and looked around. Mostly daggers, so nothing I could truly use. I then descended down into the depths of the ruins and found myself in a large room with more mages. They were practicing their studies, so I stayed in the shadows, picking them off one at a time. There was even a high level ice mage in the room, and a novice storm mage.

After I finally cleared out the last mage and opened their strong boxes, a portal appeared near one of the altars. I looked at it and I could hear some people laughing and talking. I stepped in and it looked like I was in a field of grass and trees, with fireflies all about. I wondered to myself what this was; that maybe, this was an illusion and that it was all part of another mage that I did not know about.

I finally found the source of the voices and it was a group of men, and Sam was with them. I glared at him, yelling and shouting at him for all the embarrassment that he caused. All he did was laugh and say that it was a harmless prank. Then, energy began to envelop him and he revealed himself to me as Sanguine, the Daedra lord of hedonism and debauchery. I was confused and looked at the Daedra, a bit surprised that he would cause all of this chaos. He said that it was only a little harmless fun.

I looked at him with disbelief. Fun? I get inebriated, running around all of Skyrim and the empire, just to find out what happened, and all he could say that it was harmless fun! If it was not for the fact that he was a Daedra lord, I would cleave him in two! However, Sanguine said that he would honor our agreement and he gave me his staff, the Sanguine Rose. Then, he teleported me back to Whiterun and I looked about.

That night, I went home and went to bed, putting away the staff. As far as I was concerned, this day never happened…

Next Chapter:

Answering the call…


	19. Chapter 19

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 19: Answering the Call

I was ready. I had been preparing for this moment and I was going to make it count. I wanted to know more about being a Dragonborn, what this could mean. I decided to head to High Hrothgar and see the Graybeards about what they could do for me. I began my journey from Whiterun and traveled through the forest. As I did, I was feeling several things; one was anticipation and excitement over the meaning of my new power. Another was fear; I was frightened about this new power of mine, and, was wondering if there were others besides me that were here now, abusing their power. I shook my head, trying to keep my focus up as I traveled through the wilderness.

I found a bandit sitting on a fallen tree. The tree served as a makeshift bridge to cross a waterfall and he was sitting there, as if on watch. I crouched low and looked around, to see if there were any other bandits in the area. I saw one, but she was dead. From the wounds, I gathered she had run into an animal of some kind. I looked back at the bandit and got ready to fire my bow. As I launched the arrow, the rushing water was just the right cover for me as the arrow sailed silently into the air and shot him dead. He looked down at the arrow and struggled to get to his bow, but he slipped and fell off of the tree and into the raging waters below. I picked up his bow and some arrows, and continued onward.

The bandits were no problem for me; I could easily deal with them. And the trek up the mountains was not too bad, either. I could smell the scent of pines and berries throughout the trail. It was a sweet scent; one that I definitely would get used to as I trekked the trails. I could hear wolves howling, celebrating a glorious hunt, or getting ready to hunt something else. I was mindful of that, pulling out my sword and quickening my pace to Ivarstead, a sort of gateway town to the monastery.

I came to a river and, as I was about to cross it, I saw a troll on the other side of the banks, further up, walking around. I shook my head and drew out a bow. Though I did not necessarily believe I would lose against a troll, I would definitely not want to fight one, especially since I had no idea what I was getting into once I trekked up the mountain. I waited until the back of the troll was towards me and I quietly waded through the river and onto dry land. It was at this time that I saw some travelers. They were vigilents of Stendarr, and were travelling above where the troll was making its mark. I figured that, if I journeyed with them, and the troll should attack, the odds would surely be more equal.

We traveled without incident, and I found out that they were actively hunting Daedra worshippers and trying to destroy Daedra artifacts. I winced and was grateful that I left that staff back at my home in Whiterun. They seemed more focused on their duties than on conversation, and we continued on in silence.

When we got to Ivarstead, I could see the two other clerics of Stendarr leave on a different trail. Perhaps they are on a mission and needed to be somewhere, or they are simply traveling, on the hunt, for Daedric artifacts. As I entered the small farm community, I could feel a sort of bite to the air. Granted, it was not as if the rest of Skyrim was not cold, but there was something more to this air than there was in the others. It reminded me of my time in Winterhold and, as I looked up the peak I had to ascend, I began to shiver. I overheard someone say there were seven thousand steps I had to ascend to reach the monastery. I whispered a prayer to my gods that I would have the strength to accomplish such a task.

I decided to rest at the inn before beginning my ascent to the top and, as I did, I heard a rumor about a location here in town; the Shroud Hearth Barrow. The story was that the place was haunted with the spirits of not only the ancient Nords that used to live there, but also of an adventurer that once went exploring in there and never returned. Some have said that his ghost continues to haunt the place, scaring anyone that comes inside. Once I finish my ascent, I will have to check it out; if it is anything like Bleak Falls, then, maybe, there might be something about ancient dragon lore in there. There was also a bounty for a dragon that had been sighted just outside of Riften. A good opportunity, should there be a dragon word in Shroud Hearth, I could absorb the soul of the beast to gain its power.

It was around dusk as I began my ascent up the mountain. Along the way, a man who would regularly deliver supplies up the mountain asked me if I would place his latest delivery in the offering chest just outside the monastery entrance. I would be glad to, and he advised me to be careful of what was up there. There had been sightings of wolves and other creatures along the path.

My thick cloak protected me from the elements as I ascended up the mountain. Having had a taste of cold from my times in Winterhold, I could say that I was prepared for the cold temperature. Many of the steps were snow-covered and there were small shrines with etchings on each one. There was a hunter, that, though he did not make the journey all the time, he did come up here to pray and meditate on each of the small etchings and sayings, and occasionally bag game. I could see why; as I moved up, I encountered a wolf and a spider. I even saw a creature that seemed to be made of ice itself; some sort of ice wraith. Luckily, it was weakened when it fought a wolf and I managed to finish it off.

The path grew colder and the wind began picking up. I could feel the wind brush its cold blades like swords across my face and I covered up as best I could. I shielded my eyes from the occasional burst of snow and ice. There was an icy patch that I slipped on, but I caught myself on the snow and continued onward. The steps were iced over and were making ascending them treacherous. I slipped once, but I was determined to get to the top, and no amount of ice or snow was going to stop me from doing so.

The path winded and cut through a gorge and, as I went through it, I could see a faint outline of a creature. I stopped and took cover and watched the thing lumber about. It was a troll, but it was not an ordinary troll. Instead of the brown and green skin and hair that I had normally been accustomed to seeing, this one was white. It was like the troll had merged with the snow itself. Still, a troll is weak against fire and, if it was a frost troll, maybe, fire would be doubly dangerous against it. I unleashed a fire breath attack against the frost troll and it screamed in pain. Though badly hurt, it was angry, so I finished it off with my bow and let loose another flaming breath attack before the troll could regenerate.

That was the last obstacle and, as I continued, I could see a statue of Talos not too far away from the monastery. I dropped the supplies off in the chest and made my way to the monastery entrance. It was an exquisite place; like it had been carved into the mountain itself. I could hardly fathom the length of construction on such a place, but everything was perfect and uniform.

I entered and collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. I had finally made it…

Next Chapter:

Training…


	20. Chapter 20

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 20: Training

I leaned my head back on the cold stone wall, shivering. The place seemed to be only slightly warmer than the outside, but, at least, I was shielded from the wind. I groaned slightly and felt my head. I was exhausted; having traveled up these stairs wore me out. I needed to rest. As I looked about, this place was ancient, but not dusty, as in previous other places I had adventured into. This place was still being used, so it was natural to assume that the residents of this place kept things tidy. My legs and arms were burning from exhaustion and my skin blistered from the cold temperatures. I began rubbing my hands and my stomach; an old hunter's trick to stay warm during cold nights on long hunts. I then heard something shuffling near me. I reached for my sword and stood uneasily up, bracing for the wall. I shook my head; is this how I was going to die? Tired? I was not going to give anyone the satisfaction of them killing me while I was on my knees.

Several men in robes and long beards began approaching me. One of them, Arngeir, told me that he and his cohorts were no threat to me. I could tell there was sincerity in his voice and I sheathed my weapon. I looked about and the four men, all of them seemingly old, had gathered in the center of the room, observing me. I was a bit nervous, but I told them I had heard the summons and I wanted to know why they had called me here. Arngeir said that he would tell me, but, he wanted to know first about the power that I possessed and told me to hit him with my Unrelenting Force power.

I looked at the old man and shook my head, protesting, saying that I could kill him. Honestly, I had not even used it that much, compared to fire and frost breath. He said it was necessary and I nodded. I spoke the word, feeling the power within me grow and I let loose the attack. Arnegeir stumbled back, but stayed on his feet, much to my surprise. He stood back up and nodded, saying that I was indeed Dragonborn. He then explained that I was not the first Dragonborn, that there had been others before me in times past. I figured as much; from what I saw in Bleak Falls Burrow, I could not have been the first, but, I hoped I was the last, considering what was going on.

Arngeir then explained that there were three components to any shout, the power I was using. I learned force, but he was going to show me a new word to use; balance. Another one of the Graybeards raised his hand and, the language of the dragons began to appear on the floor. I felt the word's power roll on my tongue as I began to absorb its knowledge and strength. Then, I learned it; balance. However, Arngeir said that it was not enough, that I had to absorb a dragon's soul in order to unlock it, but, he offered another alternative; one of the Graybeards gave me the power to unleash it and, it was the same feeling I got when I absorbed the dragon's soul in the first place. I opened my eyes again and then proceeded with a test.

The Graybeards were summoning specters, ghosts for me to test my new power. I spoke both force and balance in the ancient language and let loose a more focused blast of power. The feeling was incredible; every syllable was like a harmonious music score playing. I felt a burning power in my body, burning with the ferocity and power of a dragon. After my test, I was catching my breath, but not from exhaustion. From excitement. I had forgotten all about my perilous trek up the mountains, how tired I was. Now, I felt reborn, wondrous. It was almost as if the power that I had was giving me the will to fight on.

Arngeir was seemingly impressed with my ability to learn so quickly and he then escorted me outside for another test, one where I would learn an entirely new word. As we walked out, I could feel the familiar cold brushing up against my face and I held my cloak close to me. The cold did not seem to bother the others and I shook my head, wondering how they would do that. I watched as Arngeir explained a new word to me; Whirlwind. That familiar feeling of power and knowledge returned and Arngeir said to try the word out by rushing through the gate before it closed. I watched as one of the Graybeards demonstrated this and rushed the gate with such blinding speed.

I blinked and shook my head in surprise; I had never seen anything move that fast. It was surreal. I then took my place near the gate and got ready for the test. As the gate opened, I spoke the word and rushed through it. In barely a blink of an eye, I had covered an incredible distance. I looked back and ran as fast as I could back to them. I had never moved that fast in my life, and it would definitely come in handy when I needed to make quick escapes.

Arngeir nodded, and he complimented me on my ability to learn so fast. I asked if this was easy for everyone, and he said it was not. It was a matter of discipline that I was able to do this. He then proposed one more test; I had to visit a ruin and retrieve the horn of the Graybeards' founder. I smirked and said I would do so.

But, first, I wanted to check out Shroud Hearth Barrow. There was something there I needed to see…

Next Chapter:

Haunting…


	21. Chapter 21

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 21: Haunted Barrow

I returned back to Ivarstead and, after resting from my long trek up and down the mountain, began preparation to explore the Shroud Hearth Barrow. I had to find out if it was really true that the ghost of an adventurer was haunting the place. As I entered the barrow, I could hear a haunting voice calling out to me, telling me to go away. I shook my head, trying to focus, but, it did seem haunting, almost. I descended the stairs and saw that my way was barred by an iron gate. I looked around until I saw a series of levers along the opposite wall. I had no idea of what to pull, and, considering my experience with crypts and tombs, I could be setting a trap. I crept slowly, trying not to disturb anything. I carefully reached out to a lever and pulled it.

It was a trap, as several darts began flying my way. I ducked to the crypt floor and caught my breath. All right; never do that again. I began pulling other levers until I managed to open the gate that I wanted to and continued onward; making a mental note that there could be other traps that survived the test of time. Not too far away, there was another iron gate and, as I opened it, a series of spears came across my path. I stepped back and waited until the spears stopped moving and retreated back.

I crept slowly through the corridor and found a spirit sitting at a table. I shook my head, wondering; why would a spirit be sitting? Something did not feel right about this, but, he did hear me and began walking toward me. My bow was drawn, so I fired and arrow and fled down the corridor and closed the gate behind me. He launched electricity at me as I ducked around a corner.

From what I know of spirits, they could pass through solid walls, but, I became perplexed as we exchanged arrows and lightning blasts as to why the spirit of this adventurer was not simply coming through the walls and to me. After my next attack, I began to see blood coming from his wound. Whatever was happening, the fact that this spirit was not acting like a spirit caused me to believe that the adventurer was not really a spirit, as told by the townsfolk.

Another arrow later, he was dead. I knew of the trap and waited until it triggered to swiftly examine the body. The body's spectral glow was gone and, as I walked into the room he was residing in, found an alchemy lab and a journal. The journal indicated that this adventurer had created a potion that made him appear like he was a ghost. I thought to myself that was peculiar, until I found out why he did it; he was searching for a claw that could open the door. The directions to the door were simple enough and, as I followed them, I saw the same door I remembered from my travels at Bleak Falls Barrow. I examined the coral claw as a hunch, but, saw that the symbols did not match. Regardless, I have debunked the rumor that the place was haunted, and returned to the inn in town to explain my finding.

The innkeeper was surprised at this, and regretted it quite so for being so foolish. He then handed me a dragon's claw made of sapphire. That must have been what the adventurer was looking for, and I almost fell down laughing at irony of the whole situation. The innkeeper looked at me as I was on the floor, laughing hysterically at how this poor adventurer was looking in all the wrong places, and all he had to do was talk to the innkeeper and not go through with the silly charade of being a ghost. The innkeeper, as well as some of the patrons, began to get a little worried about the attention I was causing and, as I noticed this, I stood up and brushed my hair back, smiling sheepishly. The innkeeper gave me the claw as my reward, and I could go deeper into the Barrow.

I knew that this was not the end; that the claw opened up a much larger section of the Barrow. It was littered with traps and undead, as I took out a group of them as they were standing on an oily surface. I saw a lantern above them and fired and arrow, dropping the lantern and incinerating them. Of course, this ruckus did not go unnoticed as several more undead Nords and skeletons came out of their crypts. I shook my head and, taking an advantageous position, fired more arrows. The undead monsters were gone, but the danger was by no means, gone.

As dangerous as exploring these ruins were, I also found a great many treasures to sell later; from dwarven armor and to gems and some old swords. But, my best find was in the center of the place; another dragon word.

I entered the central chamber and, as I did, several of the coffins began bursting open. I quickly took to the shadows and saw skeletal archers and skeletal warriors with shields and swords began to rise out of their graves. I began to feel fear, knowing that I was trapped in this room with them. The best I could hope for was that all my shots were true and that none of these things saw me as I took the shots. My first shots were to the skeletal archers on the elevated platforms on either side of the room. I launched arrows at them, and, with enough damage, they were reduced to bones in little to no time at all. Then, I saw some more rise up, and they were searching for me. I quickly stayed still, watching with anticipation on their next move. Some went to investigate the noise. The sounds of their creaking bones was unnerving, and seemingly unnatural. I clenched my teeth, trying to block out the noise as I took the next shot.

Most of the skeletal soldiers were gone, but I now had a new problem; undead Nords. These particular ones could cast magic as well as weapons, so I picked them off before they had a chance to find me. They were not that many, and I was relieved that they went down as quickly as they did.

The final opponent was seemingly, their overlord. I had encountered one like this back in Bleak Falls Barrow, and he was a nightmarish creature. Then, I did not have the element of surprise, and it was a tough fight with my sword. That one had the shout of the dragon on his side, and I was not about to be dragged into an all-out melee again. I began firing my bow, using the shadows as my shield and cover while the overlord tried to determine where the shots were coming from. Shifting through the shadows was a part of what I needed to do, and, the fact there was little light from where I was standing was making this easier for me. He finally fell after some critical shots from my Bow of Shocks.

I found the dragon tablet and, as I closed in on it, I could feel the power of the dragon as I began to speak the word.

Kyne.

This word did not seem like one for a shout of power, but one of peace. The word's power was more of a peaceful one, making creatures more docile or something to that effect. It was like my ability to command animals, but this seemed more powerful. I wonder; maybe, at one point, my people's history and dragon's history were interconnected, and this was part of it.

I did not want to reflect on that right there in the creepy dungeon; I exited the Barrow and returned to Whiterun, exhausted. Tomorrow, I had another busy day of adventuring; to retrieve the horn of the Graybeards' founder…

Next Chapter:

Set up…


	22. Chapter 22

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 22: Retrieving the Horn

Retrieving the Horn of the founder of the Graybeards did not seem as dangerous as it sounded, considering I had my fair share of dungeon delving and encountering the undead in such ruins. I looked at the map of where I had to go and I noticed that it was close to the town of Morthal. As I took a carriage there, I began thinking about the power of the voice I had when I spoke the dragons' tongue.

I always knew I was different from the rest of my Bosmer brethren. There would be times I would stare at the starry night, wondering if my fate was written into the stars. The moon was so bright to me; I always loved the night sky. I was determined to be better and faster than the other children; this drive that I had to be better; it was always with me. I had no idea at the time what this meant, but, after everything that was going on, I finally understood what it was that I was destined to do.

Slay dragons.

And, use that power to help retrieve elven artifacts. That is important too.

I made my way to Morthal. The place was damp and swampy, but my destination was not too far away and I proceeded to walk. The entire wooded area outside of town gave me an uneasy feeling; one that sent a slight chill up my spine. Whatever it was, it was this feeling of death and decay, and the swamp only seemed to enhance this effect. As I looked about, I saw a cave, with various, decapitated corpses and blood splattered onto the ground. I shuddered in thought as to what was going on here, but, I had a job to do and I was going to do it; no matter the cost.

It was at this time that I approached Ustengrav. I coughed slightly; the nauseating swamp gas finally getting to me. It was foolish enough for me to do so, as I was now surrounded by bandits. Suddenly, a necromancer began firing a blast of energy at me. I ducked out of the way and watched as it hit one of the bandits. An all-out melee ensued, with all of them pursuing me and the necromancer. The necromancer was not too keen on working with me. I pulled my sword out and blocked a few of the bandits' attacks before an ice blast by the necromancer came on top of me. I hissed in pain because of the surreal biting cold. I rolled out of the way, hitting the hard ground near the ruin. The bandits would have been on top of me, but I shouted the word fire, releasing a fiery attack on them all.

The blistering heat left many of them crying out in pain, and one of the bandits was close enough that he was seared to a pile of ashes within moments. I shook my head and watched as the burning corpses did nothing but create an even worse smell than the swamp. I gagged and tried to get away from the stench for a few minutes. No, I had to keep going. This was not going to stop me.

As I entered the ruins, I saw a dead bandit near my feet. I was a bit perplexed and, off in the distance, I saw why this bandit was dead. It appeared to be that the necromancers and bandits were fighting each other, and some of the undead that resided in this ruin. It looked like the necromancers were trying to summon the undead under their command and unleash them upon the bandits. I could hear the sickening tears of flesh, the incantations in languages I did not understand. I horrible feeling came over me. Necromancy is one of the most dangerous magics that I had ever heard of, and it made me sick to see it being practiced. I watched silently, pulling out my bow as the bandits and necromancers continued to slaughter each other in a mix of steel and sorcery.

Finally, all that remained was a single necromancy. It seemed almost a shame that he was not at full strength; his robes drenched in blood and his body aching from some wounds he received.

Almost, but not quite.

An arrow silenced his beating heart, despite my belief that a necromancer has one. The sanctity of death is just that; death is the end of life, and it should remain so. I despise undead greatly. I shivered slightly as the place smelled musty. The necromancers must have been trying to open the tombs for their experiments, and the bandits did not too kindly on that. Probably just wanted a place to hide and count their loot. Now, they would have neither.

Despite my attitude towards necromancers, they do have interesting treasures for me to take. Mostly potions and soul gems I could later sell. The staves they possessed were unsightly too; that of a skull on a black rod. I groaned and put it away. I kept my bow at the ready, for, I heard more sounds of fighting. This time, however, it was not bandits the necromancers were fighting. I think it might have been actual undead.

I crept down a corridor and down a flight of stairs. As I stuck to the shadows, a flash of light blinded me. I shielded my eyes and attempted not to reveal myself as best I could as a mage lashed out with a fireball attack on one of the undead Nords buried here. I kept close to the walls and waited until the restless zombie had mutilated the mage, despite being badly burned. The mages here must have underestimated the undead's strength greatly down here. I could hear the sickening sounds of the undead ripping the flesh and tearing the limbs off of the necromancers, the creaking of the stones and wood as the mages and undead fought.

Then, silence.

It was a sickening silence, like that of true death. However, a slight creak of the bones of the undead wood occasionally break it, but I was fortunate. The necromancers had weakened many of the undead that roamed the halls up to this point, so it was a relatively simple of task for me to take my arrows and, firing them from my bow in the shadows, kill them. I was careful, however; knowing places like these, there were bound to be more undead, and more traps.

And, I eventually encountered both. A massive chamber greeted me as I walked through a set of doors into the depths of this place. The chilling air was now mixed with the sweet scent of pine and, as I looked down, I saw several pine trees growing in this desolate place. The only signs of life here in this barren ruin that seemed untouched by the decay of the undead. However, things were not as they appeared to be. I could see several skeletal warriors, some with bows and others with swords, creaking their bones about as they walked.

The trap I first encountered was a flame one. I looked down, seeing the holes in the floor. I cautiously stepped on one and a jet of flame shot out. I quickly retreated and thought for a moment on how to get across this. Then, a smile graced my lips and, channeling the dragon's word for whirlwind, sped across it without disturbing or so much as getting a kiss from the flames. I looked back and chuckled to myself; this was becoming child's play for me. I continued onward, eliminating skeletons and any undead unfortunate enough to cross me.

It was around this time that I reached a lower level of the large chamber. The place looked like a sort of meeting house, with numerous benches on the floor, and a raised podium. Maybe it was a place of worship at one point, or that it was a gathering for the king or some other ruler. But, something else caught my eye; the language of the dragons. It was engraved on a stone much like the other ones I had seen and, when I found a way to get there, I managed to find a new word; fade. I had no idea what the power of this word could bring, but, once I absorbed a dragon's soul, then, it would be easy to determine what it meant.

Continuing past a puzzle door, where I had to run quickly before the gates closed, I then reached another room where, through a long hallway, I saw holes on the floor. As I stepped on one, I heard something trigger. I quickly got off the pressure plate and ran, hoping to avoid the flames. However, the flames were on the other side of the trap, and I managed to find an alcove as the flames touched my cloak. I brushed it off and groaned to myself that I really liked this cloak, and I would need to find another heavy one if I was going to go out into the cold. I carefully made my way through this hallway, avoiding touching the floor as best I could by staying to the walls. After dispatching some spiders, and luring one of the bigger ones onto the trap, I found the inner sanctum. The smell of burnt animals was just as bad as the rotting flesh that I had encountered throughout this thing, but, I had to keep going.  
The inner sanctum had a pool of water and a small bridge to the horn. As I approached it, something began to emerge out of the pools of water and I braced for cover, trying to find out if this was another test for me. However, it was not a monster, but pillars, all shaped like a dragon's head, emerging and lining up on either side of the bridge. I looked around and saw some undead Nords that had escaped their tombs, but, as I looked closer, I noticed that they were already defeated. In fact, the altar that had would have had the horn had a note instead, saying that I was to meet them in Riverwood and rent an attic room in the inn.

I held my head; all this way and for nothing. I was mad and hoped that whomever was playing this joke on me had the horn and they would gladly give it up. Otherwise, I will not be held accountable for my actions should I find them…

Next Chapter:

A Hidden Agenda…


	23. Chapter 23

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 23: Following a Lead

Riverwood.

It all began here. I wonder if that soldier was still here. No, he probably already left for Solitude. I shook my head; it was a different feeling when I first arrived here and now. Then, it was different; I was scared; I was on the run. My memory flashed back to that time; that time where the soldier and I were running for our lives, away from the dragon. Away from the Stormcloaks, and away the chaos in Helgen. I shook my head, remembering how weak and weary I was from all that running. I even remembered that night I took a bath, and the soldier just staring at me. I felt like I was a timid girl then, but, after witnessing and fighting what I had fought; from bandits; to dragons, to undead; I had come a long way.

I decided to stop by the smith before meeting this contact and work off my frustrations at the smith; crafting daggers. I had collected a lot of pelts in my travels and creating leather from that was not as difficult as it once was for me. For hours, I worked the forge; honing my technique. I would say that it the technique was good enough for a lot more than just practice. I really wanted to do something with all the dragon bones and scales I was collecting. Either I could make armor out of it and use it; or sell the armor.

While I worked in the forge, I could feel my mind began to wander again; this time, as to who left the note there. What were they up to? Were they playing a game with me? Was this another one of Sanguine's tricks he wanted to play on me? I remember the last one and I groaned in displeasure at the mere thought of anything like that happening again. I would definitely pray to the gods that, if this is punishment for something I did, then, I already learned my lesson and that there was no need for this anymore.

I finished up more work on a set of iron daggers. I had to admit; it was fun to work on these things. I then decided to visit the shopkeeper in town and he greeted me with a smile on his face, never forgetting the time I helped retrieved his golden claw from the thief that stole it. I began selling some of the many treasures that I had and, he then showed me something that he had; elven armor. I looked at it, and was amazed; the armor was pristine and I traced my fingers around the etchings and grooves, feeling the strong, but light, material that was used to craft such an elegant piece. I asked where he got it and he said that a caravan of travelers had sold it to him. It was not anything special, but I quickly recognized its value. I told him that I would buy it. He seemed please, more so when I found a necklace that enhanced my ability to stay quiet. I figured I would need to, especially if I was hunting dragons.

I stepped into the inn with my new armor and asked about the attic room. Delphine, the innkeeper, said there was no attic room, but to take the room on the left. I was a bit perplexed, but, then, I remembered something. Was this not the same woman I saw at the castle in Whiterun? No, could not be.

I stepped into the room and shut the door. I decided to put on my new suit of elven armor and it fit me perfectly. This suit was obviously tailored to a woman, and I felt it hug me tightly. It was almost as if this thing was made for me. It felt better than some of the studded leather armors that I had worn in the past. They were so itchy. I almost chuckled to myself as I remember the cumbersome armor. Though tailored for me, and obviously crafted well, nothing felt more like home than a fine piece of elven armor. I shivered in delight.

There was a knock at the door, one that caused me to jump a little. I readied my sword and got the rest of my items in order and beckoned Delphine to enter. As she did, she said to me that we should talk somewhere more private, and that she had the horn. It would have been tempting to make a scene, but, I had my doubts I would be able to get out of it without facing incarceration. I had already enough of that for one lifetime. I nodded and she escorted me to her room. As I closed the door behind me, I watched as Delphine walked over to a cabinet and opened it. It revealed a secret passage down to a room. I was floored and she looked at me like I was some child. Delphine ordered me inside to talk. My weapon was at the ready, however, and I began asking,

"Who are you?"

Delphine said,

"I'm trying to help you. Now, get inside and I will tell you about the dragons and the horn."

I kept my hand on my sword, but motioned for her to go first. Delphine sighed angrily and said,

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have already done so. But, you are the Dragonborn, or so I have heard."

We walked down the corridor into the small room. It looked like a war room of some kind, complete with enchanter, alchemy lab, and several potions and armor. Delphine said to me,

"Now, the horn…"

She handed me the horn and I stowed it away quickly. I snapped my fingers in realization,

"You were in the castle in Whiterun, weren't you?"

Delphine folded her arms, smugly remarking,

"I see you've been paying attention. What do you think of my act?"

I had to admit; I was fooled by the weak, innocent innkeeper routine. I wanted to know if the bartender had any knowledge that Delphine was not what she appeared to be. Delphine said,

"First, I need to know if you're Dragonborn. The tablet that you retrieved, the Dragonstone, is a map of dragon burial sites. Dragons aren't just coming back; they're coming back to life, and it's my job to find out what it all means. You're the only one that can absorb the dragon's soul, preventing its resurrection."

I looked at her suspisciously for a moment and asked,

"What business is it of yours? You interfered in something I had to do."

Delphine raised her hands calmly and replied,

"Yes, I know. But, it was the only way to get your attention. All I'm asking is that you prove to me you're the Dragonborn and come with me to a dragon burial site I know about. Once we find out what's going on, I'll answer any questions you have. Truly, but first come with me to Kynesgrove."

I looked at her, still disliking the situation I was being put in. I wanted to cleave her right there and then for putting me through this garbage. Delphine looked at me and nodded, saying,

"You have a right to be angry with me. I get that. But, we both know it would be a pointless exercise to fight, considering there are dragons about."  
I had seen some of these fearsome beasts and fought against them. I hated to admit it, but Delphine had a point; it would be a pointless exercise to fight. But, that did not mean that I was going to let her get away with what she did. I took my helmet off and brushed my hair back, huffing mad. I said to Delphine,

"Let's go."

We made our way to Kynesgrove, just south of Windhelm. As we took the carriage to Windhelm, Delphine, now in her armor, looked more like a warrior than an actual innkeeper, and, I had to say, she did look like a mercenary of some kind. What kind of mercenary was still a mystery to me. I decided that I had to be cautious of her, but, I did notice she had a very strong bow and sword. I kept my senses sharp as the carriage carried us to Windhelm.

Renting horses at the stables, the two of us galloped into Kynesgrove as fast as we could. When we got there, we saw a woman running for her life. This woman told of a dragon circling overhead and landing near the grave site. I dismounted and tied the horse to something while Delphine rode on ahead, to look for a path. I quickly scaled the rocks and managed to meet up with her near some trees. We both began our approach to the gravesite, staying under the cover of darkness.

The clouds were thickening up as I watched a dragon circle about. There was something very familiar about this dragon and, as I watched, it occurred to me; this was the same dragon that attacked Helgen! I recognized it and swallowed nervously as I unconsciously pulled out my bow. The dragon was chanting in a language I could barely understand. Despite the words of power I had learned so far, I could not understand what was being said.

But, I knew the result of it. The ground started to violently quake at the gravesite and, in moments, a skeleton of a dragon began to appear. The skeletal dragon then began to gain flesh and blood like it had never had died and the two dragons then began to communicate. I had seen first-hand what the dragon had done in Helgen, but, to see it revive another was shocking. I had no idea it was this powerful. As I looked up, the dragon seemed to cut through the darkness, its eyes glowing as they seemed to lock on to mine. He cackled at me in a deep voice, saying that I knew what he was doing and he ordered the recently revived dragon to attack us.

That dragon flew off, but the one that just revived began talking in a language both of us could understand, and it breathed a frosty breath on top of us. Delphine and I separated and I watched as Delphine courageously went headlong into battle. I covered her with my bow, launching several of my strongest arrows at the beast, and even let loose a fiery breath attack. However, the new dragon took flight and began to circle around, looking for a more opportune point to attack. I ducked behind a rock, and ordered Delphine to do the same. She had a bow and some arrows, and we began firing, trying to time our shots just right.

This new dragon was strong and did a fly-by, launching its icy breath at us. The rocks and ground grew cold to the touch. I had grown accustomed to fighting like this in harsher climates, where the dragon's frosty breath would last longer, but, given the warm of the area we were in, the ice began to melt a little faster.

Delphine fired her bow and ducked behind a rock to get another arrow. I kept some poison I had collected in my travels and figured this would be as good a time as any to use it. I let loose another arrow laced with the poison and it struck the dragon.  
Despite all of our efforts, even me switching to a magical bow, the dragon was still strong and, as it landed and flapped its wings, it created such a strong wind. I then saw it catching its breath and thought to myself that, despite all the power that it had when it was revived; it must not have had a lot of stamina. That; and maybe the poison was actually starting to affect it. I channeled my knowledge of the dragon language and let loose another fiery breath attack. The attack made contact, and it was wounded enough that the dragon was killed; incinerated. The soul of the dragon then entered me with its knowledge, and it was overwhelming.

I collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. I threw my helmet down and laid down on the dirt for a good few minutes, not wanting to move. So much had happened I had a hard time to take it all in at once. The dragon I saw at Helgen was powerful enough to revive other dragons, and now, I fought what I think it to have been one of its lieutenants. I closed my eyes, the starry night the last thing I saw.

I woke up an hour later. Delphine had taken me to a small inn in Kynesgrove that put us up for free. She was healing my wounds with some herbs and potions she had brought with her and I looked up at her, tired as can be. I held my head and Delphine said to me,

"You were more worn out than I thought you were."

She handed me a warm mug of cider,

"It's not elven wine, but it's really good."

I barely took notice to it. Delphine said,

"All right, as I said, I would tell you the truth. But, I have to say, it's not every day that I saw what just happened. Was it always so exhausting?"

I held my head again, feeling my red hair had gotten dirt and pine needles in it. I told her,

"No, but it was different. This dragon was…older."

I then began explaining about the dragon in Helgan and it was the same one as before. Delphine told me that she believed the Thalmar were behind it. I did not pay attention to much of what she said, but the only thing that I did remember was she was part of the Blades, a group of warriors that hunted dragons. Delphine then said that, though she had no direct proof of the Thalmar's involvement, she thinks they might know who does and the only way to get it would be to infiltrate the Thalmar embassy.

She then noticed that I was completely out of it and touched my hand. I looked back at her and she said to meet her back in Riverwood when I was ready. Delphine would also take care of the bill for me here.

I laid back down and, before I closed my eyes, the knowledge of that dragon I absorbed told me one thing; that, right now, I was no match for whatever was coming. I drifted off to sleep, not wanting to deal with it any more…

Next Chapter:

Hunting…


	24. Chapter 24

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 24: Sharpening Skills Again

My first priority was to return the horn of the founder to the Graybeards. That was what I had originally set out to do. I trekked back up the mountain, surprisingly easier for me than the last time I had done it. All of this adventuring must have made me stronger, or I was becoming accustomed to the cold weather. I walked in and the Graybeards were all meditating, praying in that ancient dragon language. I was beginning to understand some of it, but, only a few words here and there. The souls of those dragons contained much more of that language, and, if I were to start slaying more of them, then, I would eventually learn the whole language.

I presented the horn, still a little weary from my trek up the mountain, but not so much that I needed to lie down. Arngeir took the horn and then the four circled around me. He explained that my initiation would be near completion. First, I had to learn the final word to Unrelenting Force; Push. I watched as they carved the word into the stone and I could feel myself able to read the word so easily. As I watched it, I could feel my tongue burn with what the word was saying and finally said it.

Push.

The power it had, combined with the others, made me realize the true power of Unrelenting Force. My eyes opened in awe as the true power was realized. If this was what it was like with only a force attack, I could only imagine what something like a fire breath attack could do if I had learned the other words to it. I swallowed nervously as Arngeir then told me that I was to receive full initiation as I would feel the full effects of one more ceremony they had planned for me. The four of them circled me and began chanting. I was nervous and could feel myself being bombarded with some sort of attack. It was not punishing, but I did feel it, and it was not as painful as I thought it would be. Still, it did knock me off my feet. I just would get back up, but, it would keep knocking me down. I clenched my fist down, gnashing my teeth. I was determined to keep this up, just as long as they would. Finally, the ceremony was over and Arngeir nodded in satisfaction; that I was now an initiate of the Graybeards. Then, they left to their meditations again.

While it was nice to finally understand the power that I had in me, it was still not going to be enough. From what I saw of that dragon in Kynesgrove, the one reviving them was considerably more powerful. I had to sharpen my skills, so I went hunting for bandits. The first bandit bounty took me to a place far north. It was here that a bandit had camped out on a ship called the Winter War, a wrecked vessel that rain into a glacier. Though it was not at the bottom of the water, it was incapable of sailing, and a group of bandits had taken shelter there.

I crossed the icy patches and even swam in the cold water, sending shivers all around me. I got to shore, nearly avoiding a bear and some ice wraiths along the way. I waited until nightfall to begin my hunt, staying very close to their encampment. The weather was both a hindrance and assistance, as it both froze me to death, but kept my presence masked from the bandits. Keeping warm was not a problem for me; I learned to do it while training to be a hunter. I smelled smoke and cooking nearby. One of the bandits must have been cooking and near the warm fire.

When this bounty would be mind, I would definitely treat myself to hot cider and a hot meal. I deserved it.

I scaled the glacial cliff, almost triggering bear traps they had set. I cautiously made my way past them and onto the deck of the ship. The wood was old and weathered, and it creaked with each step I took. I had to be careful and I pulled out my bow, looking for a target.

There were three bandits on the deck of the ship. One was near the fire, as I predicted. Another was sitting with their back to me on a part of the ship were it split off. The third was facing in my direction, but did not notice me. I decided to take out the one that was sitting. I fired my arrow into her back and she fell into the water. The other two bandits heard the splash and got up to investigate. Both looked down, and I quickly finished both of them off with two quick arrow strikes.

I made my way to the campfire and warmed myself, even eating some of the meat that was on the spit and some of the stew. I then heard the bandit leader below me and, getting a good vantage point, fired an arrow at the door. The door opened and this bandit, more heavily armored than the others, looked around, to find out what was going on. I fired again, and, though my arrow hit, it did not seem to penetrate the armor as I would have like it. She was hurt, but she did see me. And the fight began.

She had her shield raised as she tried to get up to my perch. I pulled out my sword and waited until she was just in range and let loose an ice breath attack. She was frozen solid and I kicked her into the water. The bandit chief was frozen to death in the icy water. All I had to do now was collect the bounty in Winterhold.

After regaling my tales of archery and suave at the inn, and, to be honest, I may have been a little drunk when I told this tale, I found a second bounty letter. This time, there was a place called Snowpoint Beacon, which was just near Driftwood Shade. There was surprisingly little resistance and it seemed all too easy. It was not even worth mentioning.

But, I heard Dawnstar was a nice little town nearby, so I decided to stop by there and see what was going on…

Next Chapter:

Plagued by Nightmares.


	25. Chapter 25

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 25: Nightmares

When I visited Dawnstar, it was about sunset, and the cold air was already creeping into the small little town. There was a quicksilver mine, which I would definitely want to mine some of that ore to see what weapons I could make from it later. But, right now, there was a more immediate concern.

As I walked around town, people were terrified. I overheard a conversation that the nightmares would not go away; that they only seemed to be getting worse. I was tired from the trip, but I dare not sleep here if this was such a place where I would be having nightmares. I asked about and someone said to me that there was a priest of Mara at the inn, looking for an adventurer to accompany him into the place where he said the nightmares were originating from. I walked into the local inn and saw the priest of Mara. However, I had a bad feeling from him the minute I saw him.

Unlike the other people in this town, he seemed to show an unusual interest in the plague of nightmares. I had to be careful of this man; for all I know; he could be the one spreading these nightmares. That; or he knows what is. As I approached, he saw me, and beckoned me for help. He said that he knew exactly what was causing this and that the temple was right above the town. The Nightcrawler Temple, he called it. I nodded in understanding; it would have to be someplace close that could oversee the whole town. I decided to accompany him to this Nightcrawler temple and help him purge out what was causing the nightmare.

We trekked through the ice and snow at night and, as we walked up the hill, the priest of Mara explained to me that the cause of the suffering of the people of Dawnstar was caused by a wretched Daedric artifact known as the Skull of Corruption. It was powered by the nightmares of others, an instrument to the Daedric prince Vaermina, lady of nightmares and dreams. I shuddered to think of how wicked a woman this had to have been. I remembered Sanguine and his game, but that was by no means an easy comparison.

We came upon two ice wraiths and dispatched them quickly; me keeping my distance and unleashing arrows. I kept my fire breath attack ready, just in case they did get too close to me. After that, we both entered the temple. The priest then began explaining that there were Orc raiders that had come into the temple to stop the Skull of Corruption's influence before, but that the priests of the Daedric lord had unleashed a miasma of sorts. This miasma put all of them in a sort of deep sleep. It was well documented that people exposed to this gas had gone mad, as it degraded their sanity. There was a seal that kept the miasma in, but, once he opened the seal, then, there would be a good chance the gas would dissipate, and that everyone would wake up.

I asked how he knew so much about this place and, once he lowered the seal, he told me that he himself was once a priest here as well.

I pulled out my sword and held it to his throat, demanding a reason why I should have let him live. The priest looked at me. He was not even fighting back. He did not want to fight back, at least, not against me. The priest said that he was serving Mara as a sort of penance. He got out as the Miasma began to take a hold over everyone. Yes, he admitted he was a coward, but, he was going to correct the wrongs he committed in this dark place by destroying it.

I let him go, but I was not happy. I wish he had told me this sooner, but, as it stood now, we had a job to do, and we had to do it. We continued down the dark temple, the chills ever evident in my body. I cautiously stepped carefully and figured that, if the Orcs and Daedric priests would wake up, they would kill each other, and I could finish off the winner. Of course, there would be no way to reason with the Orcs, seeing as what little sanity they had would be gone the minute they would wake up. Who knows how long the miasma had taken an effect on them?

There was a problem up ahead; a barrier. The priest of Mara looked at it and said there would be no way to pass it unless we got to travel through the dreamstride. I asked what that was and he explained that it was a way of traveling through someone else's dreams and alter events then to now. It was risky, and many people were killed because of the attempt. It was believed that, through this method of travel; a priest of Vaermina could travel and meet the Daedric lord herself. Whether that was actually true or not remained to be seen. All he knew was that there was a particular potion that we needed to get to. Either that, or hope to find the recipe for it.

The priests had revived, but we dispatched them quickly. A swung of a holy mace here, an arrow from my bow there; it was hardly fitting to hunt weak prey, but, considering they were a conduit for a very evil Daedric prince, I would say it more than makes up for the lake of honor involved.

After clearing out another room deeper within the temple, we began searching for anything that could help us find the Dreamstride potion. This place, though not abandoned long, was definitely in a state of disrepair. The Orcs must have made some serious strides to stop this Skull of Corruption and, in a way, I did have to admire them for trying such a dangerous stunt. I finally found the Dreamstride potion and the priest of Mara said that, if I drank it, then, we could alter the dream to get past the barrier. I shook my head and downed the concoction.

It was a surreal feeling that I had, and the memory of the priest was interesting. I was talking to two other priests, both sharing concerns about the Orc raid and how they may not survive it. They looked at me and told me to unleash the miasma. Only then would we be able to stop them. I made my way through the fighting, watching as the priests blasted some of the Orcs with magic, but the Orcs, despite crude armor, were holding out very well for themselves. One priests was cleaved in two with an axe, and the sounds of screaming could be heard echoing throughout the temple. I had to hurry, but they did not seem to notice me. I quickened my pace, feeling my heart beat and my breath quicken. Finally, I got to where the barrier was and unleashed the miasma. I depowered the trap that was powered by a soul gem and unleashed the gas.

In a moment, the barrier was down, the trap was no longer, and the priest of Mara looked at me rather surprised. He must have known it worked, for, the barrier was down and we could continue onward. Continuing onward, we dispatched more of these nightmarish priests and finally got to the same level as the Skull of Corruption. Two priests, looking much stronger than the others, greeted us. I recognized them both from the Dreamstride and both of them were not happy to see their former brother in arms. I knew this was going to end badly. And no Orcs to back us up. We killed everyone to get down here.

Our best bet was to separate the two of them, so I lured one away, firing arrows at him. The arrows got him mad and he began chasing after me. I pulled out a magical bow that I had kept with me, one that specialized in draining magicka. I figured this would be the perfect weapon to stop him. I took cover behind a wall and waited until he rounded the corner. Once I did, this particular priest of Vaermina to his end with a very powerful shock from my bow. He staggered back, feeling the shock flowing through his body, paralyzing him in place. The priest of the nightmare prince clutched his chest, as I let loose a second arrow, this time into his heart. He laid dead.

The sounds of my fight were over, and, when I returned to where the priest of Mara was, I found he had finished the other one off nicely. He then said he had to perform a ritual to destroy the Skull of Corruption and he needed me to watch his back. I watched him raise his hands and pray to Mara for the strength needed to destroy this evil artifact. As he did, I heard a woman's voice enter my mind. I tried to block it out, but she said that this priest would betray me and steal the staff for himself. I shook my head, trying to drown out the voice. Vaermina, the woman's voice, demanded I kill him. I did not want to. He watched my back throughout this whole thing, and I trusted him with my life. I dropped my bow and clutched my head, a wave of pain overtaking my body. Vaermina must have been punishing me for not obeying her.

But, then, the pain suddenly stopped. The Skull of Corruption was destroyed. I looked up and the priest of Mara looked down at me. He then waved his hands over me and healed me of my wounds. Then, he said he would try and turn this place into a temple of Mara.

Good luck to him on that; I just wanted to go someplace and rest. I was tired…

Next Chapter:

Mining, and a new quest.


	26. Chapter 26

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 27: Break

After returning to Dawnstar, I examined my weapons. Between the damage to my armor, as well as how my bow and sword were a bit used, I decided to spend a day in Dawnstar working in the quicksilver mines. Quicksilver was a metal used in many elven weapons and armor, and, if I mined enough ore out of the mine, I could use those types of resources, and the forge in town, to create better armor and sharpen my sword.

I got out some work clothes that I had kept with me and, putting my armor and weapons in several large sacks in my work area, proceeded down into the depths of the quicksilver mine. It was a musty mine, the dark rocks dimly lit by torches. It was sound, and the echoing of pick axes sung their monotone elegy of hard work. I picked a spot that was not used and swung the axe down. I kept swing the axe onto the deposit, learning a rhythm as I continued to get the precious ore that lay beneath it. It was easy at first; I had found some ore, but, as time went on, my muscles started to strain. I wiped some sweat off of my brow and took a drink of water that was passed to us by one of the wives of the workers in the mine. I thanked her, and she commented to me that she does not see very many wood elves working in the mines. I smirked at that, wiping some of the dirt I had collected on my brow. I told her this was only for refinement in weapons and armor. Once I collected enough, I would be off to the smith. She nodded and continued her duties.

I continued to work, but, despite how up north we were and how cold it was outside, it was unusually warm inside the mines. It may have been the heat from the torches, or from the fact that we were working so hard, but, regardless of the reason, I was working up a sweat. Dirt and rock dust bathed my clothes, turning them into dirt-stained rags by the time I would exit this place. I would also need a bath when this was over. Maybe if I returned to my home in Whiterun when this was over, I could stow away some of my treasures. And, maybe get bath and some hot food too.

I had counted the ores that I had collected and, when I was satisfied with my work, gave my pickaxe to another worker that had just come in. I gathered my things and headed out to the smelter; refining the ore I had collected. Once the ore was refined, I went to the blacksmith in town. The cold air was a sharp contrast to my times in the mine and my time at the smith. It was here that I turned my elven sword into a truly exquisite tool of war. I held it tightly, grinning to myself that I had honed the techniques that I remember the elven smiths used to create such weapons. I sharpened it and the smith seemed impressed by my work. I nodded my thanks.

That night, I stayed at the inn. Before I fell asleep, I took one last look at the elven armor set that I had completed and saw that they were all truly exquisite pieces.

Besides, it was high time I had upgraded my armor and weapons to make myself a true elven warrior and explorer…

Next Chapter:  
Pursuit of a legend.


	27. Chapter 27

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 27: Lost Legend Part 1

I was back in Whiterun and, as I was putting away some treasures that I could either sell for later, or would keep in storage, I came across a strange book. I must have been adventuring for so long that I must have forgotten that I had it. As I sat down, I began reading about a very interesting legend.

This legend was about an arch-mage that had considerable power at his disposal, and his three sons were jealous of their father, and so, they murdered him and divided up a particular amulet that granted the arch-mage his power. As I read on, however, each of the sons was then secretly murdered and their remains interred in ruins all over Skyrim. It was unclear how these three were murdered, but, after they had killed their father and divided up the amulet, each one of them sought to outdo the other and lay waste to Skyrim and enslave its people. The legend was so bad that all records of it were erased, as if everyone wanted to forget that awful time. It was here that I found a location to the first place where the supposed fragment was. It was just south of Solitude.

I packed my gear and decided to head there and try and find this place. As I trekked through the biting cold, I heard the moan of a dragon. I tensed, clutching my bow. I looked around, my ears burning and twitching as I tried to discern the location of the powerful beast. I then saw a campsite and quickly ran to it, trying to warn everyone that a dragon was coming. However, when I got to the campsite, there was no one there, except for a dead body. Blood lay everywhere, and I immediately thought of the dragon. Though the ruin was not too far away, the flapping of the dragon's wings was getting closer, and I did not believe that I could get there in time. I ducked behind a tree and watched as the dragon circled around, attempting to find me. Well, I might as well be out with it now.

I laced an arrow with some poison and fired it at him. It hit him, but, from the height that he was at, it only served to get his attention. The dragon began coming closer, down and down to the ground until he landed with a mighty quake. I stayed behind the tree as it unleashed a chilling ice breath attack. Though the tree was my shield, I could see the thing turn into an icy sculpture in seconds. I looked up and saw the dragon taking off again. I fired more arrows, hoping to do some damage to it before it made another attack at me. I even let loose a fiery breath attack, just so I could counter the effects of the frost breath.

He circled again and I ran for cover to another tree. There was not a whole lot of cover in the area, and I was not going to take cover at the campsite. I had no faith in those flimsy tents, which were now scattered by the dragon's mighty gust of his wings. The dragon circled again, this time roaring angrily at me. I could feel my heart beat quickly; it was exciting being a dragon slayer. Though, right now, my only concern was surviving this fight and, hopefully, winning it.

I missed another shot with a poisoned arrow and I could swear he was chuckling at me. The dragon was smart and arrogant. He came closer to me as he wanted to do another pass at me with his icy breath, but I had to remain calm and collected. I waited until he hovered in the air and I let loose another arrow. The arrow must have hit a vital spot, for, as I watched him fly again, I could see the beast crash into the grasslands near the ruin. He was staggering, so I must have been doing something him. Maybe the poison I was using was a bit more potent than I had thought. I kept firing my arrows, not wanting to risk getting close and getting a full blast of ice in my face. The dragon finally fell, and I began absorbing the essence of his soul. I clenched my hands around my bow tightly, and I could tell this was getting to be a familiar feeling, although this dragon was a bit stronger than I had thought.

I looked at the campsite and it was a mess. Tents scattered everywhere; camp supplies contaminating the ground. However, in the ruins of it all, I found a book. Apparently, there was an adventuring group that was here, but one of them betrayed the others and killed them. He had an ivory claw that he believed to be the key to this ruin. I looked about and saw the notes were slightly stained with blood. He had gone inside, leaving the other adventurers to suffer the traps and denizens of the tomb. I will seriously have to question this man when I find him.

I worked my way inside and I stepped on a pressure plate. Barely ducking out of the way, I noticed two spears in opposite directions at a central point. I swallowed nervously, the sweat ever present on my body. It was obvious that the traps still worked in this place.

After getting past some undead in a central chamber, I ascended a flight of wooden stairs. The ruins were surprisingly intact, and that, as I finished the flight, I noticed blood. I pulled out my sword and crept slowly, following the blood trail. It led to a mangled corpse, obviously belonging to the treacherous adventurer. I put my sword away and read more of his blood-stained notes. He had deciphered the locations of the other two tombs where the pieces of the amulet were being held, and he knew about this one. I saw a keystone much like the one used for the dragon's claw and, taking the ivory claw from his body, used it.

The bridge lowered and I descended into the darkness, slaying undead and spiders as they came to investigate who would dare disturb their slumber. This would be good practice for me to train with my bow, and, hopefully, if I recovered a powerful artifact in the end, I could end up using it myself. The ruins themselves had numerous cave-ins and parts where age had caused them to collapse. I stumbled across a landslide and quickly took cover, watching as the boulders crashed down, killing a patrolling skeleton. I either tripped a wire somewhere, or it was by mere coincidence that the rocks fell when they did. Either way, after getting through many of the obstacles, I ended up in the central chamber.

The chamber was expansive to say the least. Whoever was interred here had wealth, but, it was dark. And silent; the silence was worth. My head snapped in all different directions, wondering what the next enemy will do and how will it attack. I crept in the shadows, but I was scared. One of the arch-mage's sons that was here was himself a powerful warrior, and I dreaded to think on how this person could be awakened from his eternal slumber a grotesque monstrosity, desperate to clutch to the last bit of life as he defended his prize.

Suddenly, caskets started opening and I quickly stood still. I was on the other side of the chamber, having not gone very far when I saw it. The first son had awakened. I noticed the ghastly look in his eyes as he waved his sword around; his horned helmet all the more intimidating. With him were two skeletons, which seemed to be tied to his essence. I figured that, if I tried to eliminate the skeletons, they would just revive back. My best bet would be to take out the hulking monster with the sword. But, I had to do it in such a way that, should I alert him to my presence, I could hide somewhere else in the ruins and ambush him there.

I still remembered the word for whirlwind and it would allow me time to run and regroup. I waited in the darkest corner of the sanctum and fired my arrow. It was a tense moment for me, and I had to make it work. In a way, I was a little relieved that the other adventurers did not get down here. They would never want to fight such a powerful undead monster such as this one.

The first arrow sailed through the crypt and hit the undead son. It turned and waved its sword around, running around, swinging its massive sword around; looking for me. Luckily, I took cover behind a fallen pillar and waited until the footsteps were still. I carefully peered up and saw he was looking in one corner of the crypt. Being clever, the second arrow fired. As soon as it did, I dashed quickly and quietly to another pillar in the dark and watched as the son tried to find out where the other arrow came from. I made it sort of a game; tagging him behind one area, while moving and effortlessly striving around the next. The undead son was thinking that this was part of a ploy; that there were many archers hiding out in the ruins, waiting to take his trinket. I would have laughed if I was not so serious about my own survival.

The undead warrior was growing weary, and it was time for the final blow. I used my special magical bow I had found, one that would help me slay undead, specifically. The final arrow fired and down he went. I looked and the two skeletons that were accompanying him were now also dead. Looting their bodies did not take long, though I cringed at how I was sifting through them for treasure. But, I did find it; the first fragment in the legend. As I was about to exit the tomb, however, I found another thing; the ancient dragon's language. I looked closer at the writing and discovered the word for frost. I had another breath attack at my disposal.

One fragment down, two more to go…

Next Chapter:

The second and third fragments…


	28. Chapter 28

**Indira Skyrim Fic **

_Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Bethesda Studios. I own Indira Rosebed. _

Chapter 28: The Fragment Part 2

I journeyed to Saarthal, a location where another fragment of the amulet would be, but, as I arrived in the snow covered mountains outside Winterhold, I discovered that the door was locked. I sighed; my quest for the amulet would be stalled out here. But, perhaps there was another key, buried in the other tomb, the one at Geirmund's Hale. Perhaps there, I could find the missing key and return here.

I journeyed to the Hale, which was just outside a small town and not too far away from Shroud Hearth Barrow. The journey was exhausting and, before I went exploring the depths of that place, I rested at the inn and waited until nightfall to begin my excursion. I stayed in my room, checking my arrows and my bow, as well as my sword. All of them were in working order and, by the time I was done exploring this tomb, I would pay a visit to a smith and get my weapons retooled. The innkeeper brought me food and some drink and asked if I was going on another adventure. I told him I was, but I did not want to divulge any details as to the nature of what I was doing. As far as he knew, it was just another quest for treasure. Was he ever right about that.

I ate the bread and vegetables he had brought me and downed the wine. I was getting a slight headache from eating too fast, but, I was all right. It would wear off with a little exercise and dungeon exploring. I packed up my belongings and slipped out of the inn and into the night.

I had to swim across a small stream, but found the ruins with no problems at all. It was exciting, exploring these types of ruins. Despite my love for the forest, I was becoming rather adept in dungeon exploring. In a way, a dungeon is a lot like a forest; but the startling difference is the confinement of the space you are in. There is not a lot of maneuvering to be had, and I liked to fight with some agility.

As I entered the cave, I winced at the moisture inside it was. The river must have found a crack and seeped through it. I carefully made my way through the darkness, dispatching two skeevers with my sword. Hardly a challenge, but, as I looked around, I stumbled into a hole and landed in the water with a mighty splash. I was alive, but I got out and swam to some stairs. I could feel torchlight hit my face and its heat drying up the water that got into my armor. I grumbled to myself and shook my head. I looked back up and sighed; I was not going to get out of this by going the same way. I prayed that I would not be a denizen of these ruins, roaming for eternity trying to find a way out.

I then heard something. I pulled out my bow and listened carefully at the door. Something was scurrying about. It sounded like a spider. I carefully opened the door and saw two spiders weaving a web of silk strands for their new home. I dispatched them with arrows and harvested their poison. I doubt how much use I would have for it down here, but, if I ever found a way to leave, then I could use it on dragons that I would eventually hunt. I knew I should have bought a rope or something.

I continued trekking through the ruins, encountering the undead that roamed the halls of this place. Occasionally, I would step in water that had drained and pooled into ruins. One of the most hair-rising moments that I had in here, besides finding a corpse with a key, were several of the undead warriors were coming down the hall. I must have alerted them to my presence, and one of them must have been interred and revived with some sort of magic ability intact, and it must have had the ability to detect life. I shook my head and retreated down the corridor, hoping to bottleneck the three pursuing undead warriors. I unleashed a frost breath attack and the cave grew cold suddenly. I watched as the frost breath attach I unleashed encased each of the undead in a block of magical ice and drained them of whatever life essence they had remaining in them that was keeping them alive. After they were no longer moving that, I prayed that they would finally find rest.

I continued onward until I got to the central chamber that I was looking for. I could see it on my way over here, through a grate. There was water seeping in, no doubt from the river, and, as I approached the casket where the second fragment of the amulet was in, the cover suddenly opened up. I hastily retreated to the darkness and held my position there, waiting and watching what was going to happen. If this was anything like the first fight that I had encountered, then I knew it was not going to be easy. I quieted my breath as I saw this undead son of the arch-mage teleport away, enveloping itself in dark energy. A slight chill went down my spine as I looked at it; though I had seen my fair share of necromancy and magic, it still gave me fears and nightmares.

This particular son was a bowman and, as I saw him appear, there were two more mirror duplicates that appeared as well. I held my shot and looked at them for a moment. They knew I was in the room, but they could not seem to detect me. I should have felt relieved, but there was very little cover for me to be had should they start firing at me. I looked about and then, I noticed something; two of the duplicates were almost mirror copies of themselves, but, the third was different. The helmet was styled differently and the bow seemed a bit more intimidating. That was the real one. I fired my arrows at him, hoping to deal some damage. The undead son groaned slightly, but after I fired two shots, I decided to lay low and wait. Then, he disappeared, along with the duplicate archers. I crawled near a rock, the pace of my breath quickening. I had to be patient and allow him time to come again. It was the only way I would be able to defeat him.

He appeared again and I repeated the process. This time, he did find me, and fired his bow at me. I was hit and I could feel some of my magicka draining out of me. I winced; the arrow hurt too. I had to chuckle at that. The other archers had tracked his movements, so I quickly took them out. That was when he enveloped himself in that dark energy again and disappeared. He appeared again, along with two new duplicate archers. I shook my head; this was becoming a waste of time. I needed to end this, so I got to cover and let loose a volley of arrows, one right after the other. I took some elven arrows I had found and, with each shot, prayed that all of them would hit their mark.

The final arrow was the key to victory and I watched the undead son collapse in a heap. I looked closer and saw his bow had fallen into the water. When I retrieved it, I could tell there was ancient power still living within this bow. Given what had happened to me, this bow could be especially useful in a fight with a mage. I recovered the second piece of the amulet and the other treasures, including a sword made of ebony.

I returned to Whiterun and plotted my next move…

Next Chapter:

Murder investigator…


End file.
